The effects of familiar size on judgments of size and distance: An interaction of viewing attitude with spatial cues

Higashiyama, Atsuki

doi:10.3758/bf03206333

Cited by 21 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…The latter results are consistent with those ofDa Silva and Dos Santos (1984), who found that the type of instructions, using the magnitude estimation procedure, did not affect the distance responses obtained in a large open field. However, in addition to the effects of instructions on distance responses that Higashiyama (1984) found, Rogers and Gogel (1975) also found some effects under laboratory, full-cue conditions. It is not clear why distance responses were not sensitive to instructions in the present study.…”

Section: Responses To the Playing Cardmentioning

confidence: 84%

“…A recent article by Higashiyama (1984) examines the effect of familiar size upon verbal reports of size and distance as a function of viewing attitude and the level of opposing cues. Three images of the same physical width but differing in familiar size were presented at a constant physical distance to produce simulated distances of 43, 99, and 182 cm.…”

Section: Responses To the Playing Cardmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Familiar size and the theory of off-sized perceptions

Gogel

Silva

1987

Perception & Psychophysics

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The role of familiar size in the visual judgment of size and distance was investigated using reduced conditions of observation and instructions that called for either objective or apparent size and distance judgments. Each observer was presented with one object at one distance (56, 107, or 149 cm). This object, which was of constant physical size, was either a normal-sized playing card or a blank rectangle of the same size as the playing card. Distance responses were yerbal and size responses were tactual. For the blank rectangle, reported distance remained constant, whereas judged size decreased as physical distance increased for both objective and apparent instructions. For the playing card, reported distance increased as physical distance increased for both objective and apparent instructions. The judged size for the playing card, however, remained constant with objective instructions but decreased with apparent instructions as the physical distance increased. This pattern of results is consistent with the theory that, to a substantial degree, familiar size contributes to spatial responses by means of a cognitive process based upon familiar objects' appearing as smaller or larger than normal. Under conditions in which the familiar objects are normal in size (as in the present experiment), this process acts to correct a direct response to distance for any errors that might be present in the perception of distance. Familiar Size and the Size-Distance Invariance HypothesisTo investigate whether the characteristic size of a familiar object provides an effective cue to its distance from an observer, (1) verbal reports of distance often are used to measure perceived distance, and (2) cues to distance other than that of familiar size are reduced by having the observer view the familiar object monocularly in an otherwise dark visual field, with accommodation held constant. It has been found, under these conditions, that the observer's report of the distance of a familiar object often varies directly with its physical distance, if the familiar object is normal in size, or with its simulated distance, if the familiar object is larger or smaller than normal, where simulated distance is the distance at which the familiar object of normal size would need to be placed in order to subtend a particular visual angle (Epstein,

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Section: Responses To the Playing Cardmentioning

confidence: 84%

Section: Responses To the Playing Cardmentioning

confidence: 99%

Familiar size and the theory of off-sized perceptions

Gogel

Silva

1987

Perception & Psychophysics

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“…In contrast, in only a few studies (Carlson & Tassone, 1971;Fillenbaum, Schiffman, & Butcher, 1965;Higashiyama, 1984;Predebon, 1979aPredebon, , 1979bPredebon, , 1987 has the effect of familiar size on judgments of distance under naturalistic, unrestricted viewing conditions been investigated. In general, the results of these studies indicate that familiar size can be an effective cue to distance, although its effectiveness appears to be contingent on viewing attitude (Higashiyama, 1984) and on the method of measuring perceived distance (Predebon, 1987).…”

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confidence: 99%

Relative distance judgments of familiar and unfamiliar objects viewed under representatively natural conditions

Predebon

1990

Perception & Psychophysics

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“…Thus, it is unclear whether familiar size determines perceived distance or only allows subjects to make conscious estimates of distance. This criticism, which can apply to all familiar-size studies in which adult subjects make distance judgments, is particularly important in light of a number of studies showing that adult subjects' distance judgments are influenced by such variables as instructions, viewing attitude, and suggested, rather than familiar, size of target objects (Baird, 1963;Coltheart, 1969Coltheart, , 1970Gogel, 1981;Hastorf, 1950;Higashiyama, 1984;Park & Michaelson, 1974). The findings of these studies are consistent with the view that adults' distance judgments in familiar-size experiments may be influenced by factors other than the perceived distances of the stimulus objects.…”

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confidence: 99%

Infants’ sensitivity to familiar size: The effect of memory on spatial perception

Granrud

Haake

Yonas

1985

Perception & Psychophysics

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Two experiments investigated infants' sensitivity to familiar size as information for the distances of objects with which they had had only brief experience. Each experiment had two phases: a familiarization phase and a test phase. During the familiarization phase, the infant played with a pair of different-sized objects for 10 min. During the test phase, a pair of objects, identical to those seen in the familiarization phase but now equal in size, were presented to the infant at a fixed distance under monocular or binocular viewing conditions. In the test phase of Experiment 1, 7-month-old infants viewing the objects monocularly showed a significant preference to reach for the object that resembled the smaller object in the familiarization phase. Seven-monthold infants in the binocular viewing condition reached equally to the two test phase objects. These results indicate that, in the monocular condition, the 7-month-olds used knowledge about the objects' sizes, acquired during the familiarization phase, to perceive distance from the test objects' visual angles, and that they reached preferentially for the apparently nearer object. The lack of a reaching preference in the binocular condition rules out interpretations of the results not based on the objects' perceived distances. The results, therefore, indicate that 7-month-old infants can use memory to mediate spatial perception. The implications of this finding for the debate between direct and indirect theories of visual perception are discussed. In the test phase of Experiment 2, 5-month-old infants viewing the objects monocularly showed no reaching preference. These infants, therefore, showed no evidence of sensitivity to familiar size as distance information.

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The effects of familiar size on judgments of size and distance: An interaction of viewing attitude with spatial cues

Cited by 21 publications

References 26 publications

Familiar size and the theory of off-sized perceptions

Familiar size and the theory of off-sized perceptions

Relative distance judgments of familiar and unfamiliar objects viewed under representatively natural conditions

Infants’ sensitivity to familiar size: The effect of memory on spatial perception

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