The observer's perspective determines which cues are used when interpreting pointing gestures.

Abstract

Though ubiquitous in human communication, pointing gestures are often misunderstood. This study addressed how the observer's perspective affects pointing perception. More specifically, we tested the hypothesis that two different visual cues-namely (a) the vector defined by the pointer's arm or finger and (b) the pointer's index finger position in the observer's visual field-determine pointing perception and that their relative influence depends on the observer's perspective. In three experiments, participants judged the location at which a virtual or real pointer was pointing from different viewpoints. The experiments show that the observer perspective has a considerable effect on pointing perception. The more the observer's gaze direction is aligned with the pointing arm, the more observers rely on the position of the pointing finger in their visual field and the less they rely on its direction. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).