Human Systems Integration Division @ NASA Ames

Virtual environment (VE) technology exposes users to a variety of inter-sensory and sensory-motor discordances to which they must adapt for optimal performance. Our research has distinguished two ytpes of adaptation: Visual-motor skill acquisition and perceptual recalibration. The first involves learning a new way to coordinate hand and eye, while the second is an automatic, restricted process of perceptual learning. We conclude that an understanding of the controlling condition and defining characteristics of these two adaptive mechanisms allows one to predict which is the more likely to occur with a given VE and how best to trsain users of that device.