Length, weight, and width: Covariation assessments based on haptic exploration

Intuitive judgments about covariations of length, weight, and width were assessed in two experiments using a series of propositional statements. In Exp. 1, only a priori judgments were rendered, whereas in Exp. 2 blindfolded participants physically manipulated and described a series of objects varying on these dimensions before rendering their judgments. Analyses indicated participants judged weight and width as positively correlated, length and weight as uncorrelated and, to some extent, length and width as negatively correlated. If judgments are rendered after the haptic exploration phase, weight and width are (again) judged as positively correlated, and length and weight were still judged as uncorrelated. However, after the database intervention, length and width were judged as positively correlated. Results are discussed relative to research on reasoning about covariation and belief perseveration as well as perceived covariations between height, weight, and body fat.