STANDING DISTANCE IN CLIMBABILITY OF STAIRS

Abstract

The purpose of this experiment was to make a preliminary examination of the distance one needs to stand from a stair to successfully climb up without using arms for support. Using an adjustable stair structure to create different heights of risers, a group of 10 tall and of 10 short participants made perceptual judgments and physical attempts at heights that represented 83% and 93% of each group's mean leg length. Choice of maximum and minimum distance from the stair was measured for each participant. Analysis showed that perceptual judgments and physical capabilities were highly correlated (tall: Pearson r = .92); short: Pearson r = .93). Moreover, the ability to climb the two heights depended on the standing distance from the stair. The findings suggest that standing distance may be a consideration in stair climbing and that stair height alone may not be sufficient to specify climbability.