PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women

Pregnant women accurately judge the space needed to accommodate their growing bodies

2013-12-16
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Franziska Hornig
franziska.hornig@springer.com
49-622-148-78414
Springer
Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women Pregnant women accurately judge the space needed to accommodate their growing bodies Despite their changed body size, pregnant women are just as good as other people at judging whether they are able to fit through openings, such as doorways, or not. This is thanks to a process called perceptual-motor recalibration that helps people to adjust their spatial awareness of their environment based on changes in their body's size and abilities, says John Franchak and Karen Adolph of New York University in the US. Their study, published in Springer's journal Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, is the first to report such perceptual recalibration in response to actual growth rather than on the experimentally induced manipulation of body size.

The possibilities to perform certain actions reflect the fit between body and environment, which is generally termed as "affordances." When a body changes relative to the environment, affordances also change. It happens constantly across a person's lifespan as motor abilities, body size and morphology change. Pregnancy or illness, for instance, can cause fluctuations in the size and shape of the body that have consequences for action, but over a shorter period.

The researchers tested the expectation that affordance perception may be hindered during pregnancy. They wondered if pregnant women's judgments are based on their original, pre-pregnancy body dimensions, or if their perception actually lags behind their growing bodies.

From the first experiment, in which 11 women participated during the course of their pregnancies, the researchers learnt that pregnant women were able to fully adapt to changes in their abilities to squeeze through doorways. They made errors comparable to non-pregnant adults. As their bellies increased in size, so did their judgments of what doorways were possible to squeeze through in a sideways position.

Because pregnant women grow gradually and have the benefit of everyday experience to learn about their changing bodies, another experiment was designed in which participants wore a pregnancy pack simulating a pregnancy around nine months. The participants initially grossly misjudged affordance when wearing the pregnancy pack, and overcompensated for the added girth of the prosthesis. However, when they were first allowed to practice and move, they were able to make the necessary changes and adapt. Movement made a more accurate perceptual motor recalibration possible.

"Pregnant women accurately perceived the space needed to accommodate their growing bodies," writes Franchak, who stresses that changes to the body must be considered with respect to a task and an environment, and what is possible to perform or not.

"The experience of weight gain or weight loss likely operates similarly to pregnancy— experience might be necessary to facilitate recalibration to changes in body size and compression, in other words, how much the body can be 'squeezed' to fit through a specific opening," adds Adolph.

### Reference: Franchak. J.M. & Adolph, K.E. (2013). Gut estimates: Pregnant women adapt to changing possibilities for squeezing through doorways, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
DOI 10.3758/s13414-013-0578-y

The full-text article is available to journalists on request.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts

2013-12-16
Brittle-bone babies helped by fetal stem cell grafts Osteogeneis imperfecta (OI) is a congenital bone disease that causes stunted growth and repeated, painful fracturing. Ultrasound scans can reveal fractures already in the fetus, and now an international team of researchers ...

Nearby failed stars may harbor planet

2013-12-16
Nearby failed stars may harbor planet Pasadena, CA— Astronomers, including Carnegie's Yuri Beletsky, took precise measurements of the closest pair of failed stars to the Sun, which suggest that the system harbors a third, planetary-mass object.The research is published as a letter ...

'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants

2013-12-16
'Superbugs' found breeding in sewage plants Rice U. study: 2 wastewater treatment plants in China fail to kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria HOUSTON – (Dec. 16, 2013) – Tests at two wastewater treatment plants in northern China revealed antibiotic-resistant bacteria were ...

Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity

2013-12-16
Scientists identify molecular biomarkers of vaccine immunity Comparison of genes induced by 5 different vaccines Testing the efficacy of vaccines in clinical trials takes years, even decades. Yet challenging infections like HIV, malaria and dengue are striking today. ...

Discovered diversity of antiviral bacteria

2013-12-16
Discovered diversity of antiviral bacteria Study explores evolution of bacteria that can be used to fight dengue This news release is available in Portuguese. Wolbachia, a symbiont that resides naturally up to 70% of all insect species, are probably ...

Graphene nanoribbons an ice-melting coat for radar

2013-12-16
Graphene nanoribbons an ice-melting coat for radar Rice University discovery is cheaper, lighter and more effective than current deicers HOUSTON – (Dec. 16, 2013) – Ribbons of ultrathin graphene combined with polyurethane paint meant for cars is just right for deicing sensitive ...

Regulation of cancer-causing protein could lead to new therapeutic targets

2013-12-16
Regulation of cancer-causing protein could lead to new therapeutic targets CINCINNATI—Researchers with the Cincinnati Cancer Center (CCC) and the University of Cincinnati (UC) Cancer Institute have discovered a new regulation for the cancer-causing ...

ACA brings legal immigrants opportunities as well as responsibilities

2013-12-16
ACA brings legal immigrants opportunities as well as responsibilities Report suggests 6 million legal immigrants may obtain health coverage through new law WASHINGTON, DC (December 16, 2013)—The Affordable Care ...

First clinical study of computer security conducted at Polytechnique Montreal

2013-12-16
First clinical study of computer security conducted at Polytechnique Montreal This news release is available in French. Montreal, December 16, 2013 - Installing computer security software, updating applications regularly and making sure not to open ...

Black mayoral candidates win close elections in the South, pointing to importance of voter mobilization

2013-12-16
Black mayoral candidates win close elections in the South, pointing to importance of voter mobilization PRINCETON, NJ—It wasn't until 1967 – the peak of the Civil Rights Movement – that an African-American ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Life's not a squeeze for pregnant women
Pregnant women accurately judge the space needed to accommodate their growing bodies