Exploring for gloss: Active exploration in visual material perception

Image motion contributes to the perception of visual material properties, and motion signals are generated during active exploration. However, little is known about how specific perceptual tasks influence the actions that generate these cues. In an experiment using virtual reality and real-time hand tracking, we investigated how the demands of perceptual tasks (e.g., judging gloss or lightness) shape exploratory behaviors. Participants either observed or actively explored objects varying in gloss and lightness while performing a matching task. We analyzed how their exploration patterns varied based on the tasks. Using the same stimuli in both tasks, we found that participants explored objects more extensively when judging gloss than when judging lightness. These findings suggest a strategic prioritization of relevant cues for gloss judgments, with participants using larger movements and object rotation to enhance viewing perspectives and highlight detection. Our findings show that exploration behaviors are task dependent, with actions adapted to the demands of the perceptual task at hand.