Visual Expectations and Haptic Experience in the Per-ception of Everyday Materials

Material perception in everyday interaction depends on the close interplay of vision and touch. While previous research has clarified important aspects of haptic exploration, less is known about how material qualities are perceived and evaluated in visuo-tactile contexts that also involve cognitive, affective and aesthetic responses. In a first study, we employed 30 right-handed participants who explored 13 everyday material textures in a within-subject design. We used a multi-method paradigm combining self-report measures, think-aloud protocols, eye tracking, pupillometry, and video recording. Participants completed a Touch Perception Task (TPT) while visually and manually exploring the materials. Preliminary findings indicate that materials show distinct explorative profiles and that visual expectations do not always align with haptic experience. Some textures appear more aversive visually than haptically, whereas others become unpleasant only upon touch. The data also suggest substantial individual variation in visuo-tactile evaluation. Together, these findings support a more ecologically grounded approach to material perception, in which sensory, affective, and exploratory dimensions are considered jointly.