The nature of size scaling in the Ponzo and related illusions

Gillam, Barbara

doi:10.3758/bf03212404

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…That is, for example, if the vertical bars in Figure 1 are replaced by horizontal bars, there is no Ponzo illusion. These problems led Gillam (1973) to propose that it is not size scaling that causes the Ponzo illusion, but foreshortening scaling. However, foreshortening scaling makes the same predictions as size scaling for Experiment 4 and, therefore, is also inconsistent with the results of Experiment 4.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…3 Alternatively, the application of the linear perspective mechanism, without perceived depth, could be responsible for the illusion (Gillam, 1980). According to this view, the foreshortening caused by linear perspective causes the illusion (Gillam, 1973). For the purposes of Experiment 4, all of the theories that make reference to depth perception and/or linear perspective make the same prediction, so we will simply call them the perspective family of theories.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Ponzo illusion and the perception of orientation

Prinzmetal

Shimamura

Mikolinski

2001

Perception & Psychophysics

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A new theory, called the tilt constancy theory, claims that the Ponzo illusion is caused by the misperception of orientation induced by local visual cues. The theory relates the Ponzo illusion-along with the Zöllner, Poggendorff, Wündt-Hering, and cafe wall illusions-to the mechanisms that enable us to perceive stable orientations despite changes in retinal orientation or body orientation. In Experiment 1, the magnitude of the misperception of orientation was compared with the magnitude of the Ponzo illusion. In Experiment 2, predictions of the tilt constancy theory were compared with accounts based on (1) low spatial frequencies in the image, (2) memory comparisons (pool-and-store model), and (3) relative size judgments. In Experiment 3, predictions of the tilt constancy theory were tested against predictions of the assimilation theory of Pressey and his colleagues. In the final experiment, the orientation account was compared with theories based on linear perspective and inappropriate size constancy. The results support the tilt constancy theory.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Ponzo illusion and the perception of orientation

Prinzmetal

Shimamura

Mikolinski

2001

Perception & Psychophysics

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“…The purpose of the study was to test depth-processing (Gillam, 1973;Gregory, 1970) and pool-and-store (Girgus & Coren, 1982) models of the Ponzo illusion. The data indicated that both oblique length and framing ratio affected illusion magnitude.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…An alternative approach to the Ponzo illusion, but one also based on depth processing, is Gillam's (1973) perspective theory. Gillam argued that linear perspective cues, not distance cues, produce the illusion.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of framing ratio and oblique length on Ponzo illusion magnitude

Jordan

Randall

1987

Perception & Psychophysics

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The effects of the length of the oblique lines and the distance between the test line and the obliques (expressed as framing ratio) on Ponzo illusion magnitude were assessed. The purpose of the study was to test depth-processing (Gillam, 1973;Gregory, 1970) and pool-and-store (Girgus & Coren, 1982) models of the Ponzo illusion. The data indicated that both oblique length and framing ratio affected illusion magnitude. This result did not provide unequivocal support for either the depth-processing models or the pool-and-store model. A recent revision of assimilation theory (Pressey & Wilson, 1980) is proposed to describe the effects of both oblique length and framing ratio.

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“…Stimuli presented at the wider point are perceived to be smaller, and perhaps closer, than are stimuli presented at the narrow point (Gregory, 1963). Over the years, a number of different mechanisms have been proposed to account for the Ponzo illusion, including: size constancy (Gillam, 1973), assimilation (Pressey, Butchard, & Scrivner, 1971), low-pass filtering (Ginsburg, 1984), and tilt constancy (Prinzmetal, Shimamura, & Mikolinski, 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between vertical stimulation and horizontal attentional asymmetries

Nicholls

Loetscher

Wignall

et al. 2012

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

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The original aim was to examine the effect of perceived distance, induced by the Ponzo illusion, on left/right asymmetries for line bisection. In Experiment 1, university students (n = 29) made left/right bisection judgements for lines presented in the lower or upper half of the screen against backgrounds of the Ponzo stimuli, or a baseline. While the Ponzo illusion had relatively little effect on line bisection, elevation in the baseline condition had a strong effect, whereby the leftward bias was increased for upper lines. Experiment 2 (n = 17) eliminated the effect of elevation by presenting the line in the middle and moving the Ponzo stimuli relative to the line. Despite this change, the leftward bias was still stronger in the upper condition in the baseline condition. The final experiment (n = 17) investigated whether upper/lower visual stimulation, which was irrelevant to the task, affected asymmetries for line bisection. The results revealed that a rectangle presented in the upper half of the screen increased the leftward line bisection bias relative to a baseline and lower stimulation condition. These results corroborate neuroimaging research, showing increased right parietal activation associated with shifts of attention into the upper hemispace. This increased right parietal activation may increase the leftward attentional bias-resulting in a stronger leftward bias for line bisection.

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The nature of size scaling in the Ponzo and related illusions

Cited by 17 publications

References 12 publications

The Ponzo illusion and the perception of orientation

The Ponzo illusion and the perception of orientation

The effects of framing ratio and oblique length on Ponzo illusion magnitude

The relationship between vertical stimulation and horizontal attentional asymmetries

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