Distortions in length perception: Visual field anisotropy and geometrical illusions

Psychometric experiments were performed to study the effects of visual field anisotropy and geometrical illusions on the accuracy of comparison of objects in terms of length. Stimuli consisting of V-shaped symbols were used, made up of three light spots or one spot plus components of illusory figures, which were pairs of Müller-Layer wings or an interval of the Oppel-Kundt figure filled with spots of light. Relationships between the length comparison errors and the orientations of the reference and test parts of the stimulus were obtained. The experimental data showed that the simultaneous appearance of illusions and visual field anisotropy can be summed algebraically. © 2005 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.