Thresholds for the Perception of Angular Acceleration about the Three Major Body Axes

Abstract

This report presents two experiments concerned with man's sensitivity to angular acceleration about his three major body axes. The purpose of the study was to determine thresholds for accelerations about the x, y, and z axes. The thresholds of 22 normal men were established for the three axes using a precision rotation device. The angular accelerations were ordered using a random, forced choice, double-staircase procedure. It was found that mean thresholds for the three axes were not significantly different and that for each of the three axes the range of individual thresholds was substantial. Intercorrelations among the three thresholds were not simificantly different from zero. It was concluded that, under optimum testing conditions, the mean thresholds for rotation about the three major body axes are essentially the same, but that the threshold about any one body axis does not predict the threshold about the other two.