{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,25]],"date-time":"2026-06-25T15:57:39Z","timestamp":1782403059715,"version":"3.54.5"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,6]],"date-time":"2020-11-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1604620800000}}],"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]],"date-time":"2020-10-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1603065600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.ploscompbiol.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Comput Biol"],"abstract":"<jats:p>While interacting with objects during every-day activities, e.g. when sliding a glass on a counter top, people obtain constant feedback whether they are acting in accordance with physical laws. However, classical research on intuitive physics has revealed that people\u2019s judgements systematically deviate from predictions of Newtonian physics. Recent research has explained at least some of these deviations not as consequence of misconceptions about physics but instead as the consequence of the probabilistic interaction between inevitable perceptual uncertainties and prior beliefs. How intuitive physical reasoning relates to visuomotor actions is much less known. Here, we present an experiment in which participants had to slide pucks under the influence of naturalistic friction in a simulated virtual environment. The puck was controlled by the duration of a button press, which needed to be scaled linearly with the puck\u2019s mass and with the square-root of initial distance to reach a target. Over four phases of the experiment, uncertainties were manipulated by altering the availability of sensory feedback and providing different degrees of knowledge about the physical properties of pucks. A hierarchical Bayesian model of the visuomotor interaction task incorporating perceptual uncertainty and press-time variability found substantial evidence that subjects adjusted their button-presses so that the sliding was in accordance with Newtonian physics. After observing collisions between pucks, which were analyzed with a hierarchical Bayesian model of the perceptual observation task, subjects transferred the relative masses inferred perceptually to adjust subsequent sliding actions. Crucial in the modeling was the inclusion of a cost function, which quantitatively captures participants\u2019 implicit sensitivity to errors due to their motor variability. Taken together, in the present experiment we find evidence that our participants transferred their intuitive physical reasoning to a subsequent visuomotor control task consistent with Newtonian physics and weighed potential outcomes with a cost functions based on their knowledge about their own variability.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]],"date-time":"2020-10-19T13:42:37Z","timestamp":1603114957000},"page":"e1007730","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Intuitive physical reasoning about objects\u2019 masses transfers to a visuomotor decision task consistent with Newtonian physics"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9986-4690","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nils","family":"Neup\u00e4rtl","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8957-2683","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Fabian","family":"Tatai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5636-0801","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Constantin A.","family":"Rothkopf","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]]},"reference":[{"issue":"4474","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1139","DOI":"10.1126\/science.210.4474.1139","article-title":"Curvilinear motion in the absence of external forces: Naive beliefs about the motion of objects","volume":"210","author":"M McCloskey","year":"1980","journal-title":"Science"},{"issue":"3","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"325","DOI":"10.1068\/p110325","article-title":"Visual perception of relative mass in dynamic events","volume":"11","author":"JT Todd","year":"1982","journal-title":"Perception"},{"issue":"6","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"708","DOI":"10.3758\/BF03208364","article-title":"Heuristic judgment of mass ratio in two-body collisions","volume":"56","author":"DL Gilden","year":"1994","journal-title":"Perception & Psychophysics"},{"issue":"3","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref004","first-page":"574","article-title":"Contributions of invariants, heuristics, and exemplars to the visual perception of relative mass","volume":"32","author":"AL Cohen","year":"2006","journal-title":"Journal of experimental psychology: human perception and performance"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511984037","volume-title":"Perception as Bayesian inference","author":"DC Knill","year":"1996"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"271","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev.psych.55.090902.142005","article-title":"Object perception as Bayesian inference","volume":"55","author":"D Kersten","year":"2004","journal-title":"Annu Rev Psychol"},{"issue":"8","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"357","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2010.05.004","article-title":"Probabilistic models of cognition: Exploring representations and inductive biases","volume":"14","author":"TL Griffiths","year":"2010","journal-title":"Trends in cognitive sciences"},{"issue":"6245","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"273","DOI":"10.1126\/science.aac6076","article-title":"Computational rationality: A converging paradigm for intelligence in brains, minds, and machines","volume":"349","author":"SJ Gershman","year":"2015","journal-title":"Science"},{"issue":"2","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref009","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"411","DOI":"10.1037\/a0031912","article-title":"Reconciling intuitive physics and Newtonian mechanics for colliding objects","volume":"120","author":"AN Sanborn","year":"2013","journal-title":"Psychological review"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref010","unstructured":"Smith KA, Battaglia P, Vul E. Consistent physics underlying ballistic motion prediction. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. vol. 35; 2013."},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref011","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"185","DOI":"10.1111\/tops.12009","article-title":"Sources of uncertainty in intuitive physics","volume":"5","author":"KA Smith","year":"2013","journal-title":"Topics in cognitive science"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref012","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"61","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cognition.2016.08.012","article-title":"Inferring mass in complex scenes by mental simulation","volume":"157","author":"JB Hamrick","year":"2016","journal-title":"Cognition"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref013","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cogpsych.2017.05.006","article-title":"Learning physical parameters from dynamic scenes","volume":"104","author":"TD Ullman","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cognitive psychology"},{"issue":"10","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref014","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"749","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2017.06.002","article-title":"Intuitive physics: Current research and controversies","volume":"21","author":"JR Kubricht","year":"2017","journal-title":"Trends in cognitive sciences"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref015","unstructured":"Smith KA, Dechter E, Tenenbaum JB, Vul E. Physical predictions over time. In: Proceedings of the annual meeting of the cognitive science society. vol. 35; 2013."},{"issue":"2","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref016","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101","DOI":"10.1007\/s42113-018-0007-3","article-title":"Different physical intuitions exist between tasks, not domains","volume":"1","author":"KA Smith","year":"2018","journal-title":"Computational Brain & Behavior"},{"issue":"3","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref017","first-page":"669","article-title":"Influence of animation on dynamical judgments","volume":"18","author":"MK Kaiser","year":"1992","journal-title":"Journal of experimental Psychology: Human Perception and performance"},{"issue":"6","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref018","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.3758\/BF03207062","article-title":"The development of beliefs about falling objects","volume":"38","author":"MK Kaiser","year":"1985","journal-title":"Perception & Psychophysics"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref019","first-page":"146","article-title":"Naive physics: The curvilinear impetus principle and its role in interactions with moving objects","volume":"9","author":"M McCloskey","year":"1983","journal-title":"Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref020","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cogpsych.2018.05.001","article-title":"Intuitive experimentation in the physical world","volume":"105","author":"NR Bramley","year":"2018","journal-title":"Cognitive psychology"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref021","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1419","DOI":"10.1364\/JOSAA.20.001419","article-title":"Statistical decision theory and the selection of rapid, goal-directed movements","volume":"20","author":"J Trommersh\u00e4user","year":"2003","journal-title":"JOSA A"},{"issue":"6971","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref022","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.1038\/nature02169","article-title":"Bayesian integration in sensorimotor learning","volume":"427","author":"KP K\u00f6rding","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nature"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref023","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"319","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tics.2006.05.003","article-title":"Bayesian decision theory in sensorimotor control","volume":"10","author":"KP K\u00f6rding","year":"2006","journal-title":"Trends in cognitive sciences"},{"issue":"9","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref024","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"907","DOI":"10.1038\/nn1309","article-title":"Optimality principles in sensorimotor control","volume":"7","author":"E Todorov","year":"2004","journal-title":"Nature neuroscience"},{"issue":"4","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref025","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1620","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.00862.2003","article-title":"Internal models of target motion: expected dynamics overrides measured kinematics in timing manual interceptions","volume":"91","author":"M Zago","year":"2004","journal-title":"Journal of neurophysiology"},{"issue":"7","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref026","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"693","DOI":"10.1038\/89477","article-title":"Does the brain model Newton\u2019s laws?","volume":"4","author":"J McIntyre","year":"2001","journal-title":"Nature neuroscience"},{"issue":"22","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref027","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1742","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cub.2008.09.042","article-title":"Experience can change distinct size-weight priors engaged in lifting objects and judging their weights","volume":"18","author":"JR Flanagan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Current Biology"},{"issue":"5","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref028","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1262","DOI":"10.1152\/jn.00263.2012","article-title":"Material evidence: Interaction of well-learned priors and sensorimotor memory when lifting objects","volume":"108","author":"LA Baugh","year":"2012","journal-title":"Journal of neurophysiology"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref029","volume-title":"Bayesian cognitive modeling: A practical course","author":"MD Lee","year":"2014"},{"issue":"6","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref030","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1002080","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1002080","article-title":"How haptic size sensations improve distance perception","volume":"7","author":"PW Battaglia","year":"2011","journal-title":"PLoS computational biology"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref031","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1201\/b16018","volume-title":"Bayesian data analysis","author":"A Gelman","year":"2013"},{"issue":"5","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref032","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"331","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jmp.2011.06.001","article-title":"A tutorial on Bayes factor estimation with the product space method","volume":"55","author":"T Lodewyckx","year":"2011","journal-title":"Journal of Mathematical Psychology"},{"issue":"4","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref033","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"429","DOI":"10.3758\/CABN.8.4.429","article-title":"Decision theory, reinforcement learning, and the brain","volume":"8","author":"P Dayan","year":"2008","journal-title":"Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience"},{"issue":"29","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref034","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8332","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1601305113","article-title":"Learning rational temporal eye movement strategies","volume":"113","author":"D Hoppe","year":"2016","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"},{"issue":"10","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref035","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1006518","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1006518","article-title":"Modeling sensory-motor decisions in natural behavior","volume":"14","author":"R Zhang","year":"2018","journal-title":"PLoS computational biology"},{"issue":"1","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref036","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-018-37536-0","article-title":"Multi-step planning of eye movements in visual search","volume":"9","author":"D Hoppe","year":"2019","journal-title":"Scientific reports"},{"key":"pcbi.1007730.ref037","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e46619","DOI":"10.7554\/eLife.46619","article-title":"Invariant representations of mass in the human brain","volume":"8","author":"S Schwettmann","year":"2019","journal-title":"eLife"},{"issue":"45","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref038","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"18327","DOI":"10.1073\/pnas.1306572110","article-title":"Simulation as an engine of physical scene understanding","volume":"110","author":"PW Battaglia","year":"2013","journal-title":"Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences"},{"issue":"12","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref039","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3951","DOI":"10.1007\/s11229-016-1180-3","article-title":"Bayesian reverse-engineering considered as a research strategy for cognitive science","volume":"193","author":"C Zednik","year":"2016","journal-title":"Synthese"},{"issue":"4157","key":"pcbi.1007730.ref040","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1124","DOI":"10.1126\/science.185.4157.1124","article-title":"Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases","volume":"185","author":"A Tversky","year":"1974","journal-title":"science"}],"updated-by":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,6]],"date-time":"2020-11-06T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1604620800000}}],"container-title":["PLOS Computational Biology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2020,11,6]],"date-time":"2020-11-06T13:38:04Z","timestamp":1604669884000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/dx.plos.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730"}},"subtitle":[],"editor":[{"given":"Ulrik R.","family":"Beierholm","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"editor"}]}],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pcbi.1007730","relation":{"has-preprint":[{"id-type":"doi","id":"10.1101\/2020.02.14.949164","asserted-by":"object"}]},"ISSN":["1553-7358"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1553-7358","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,10,19]]}}}