Abstract
A loudness illusion is described which was originally reported by Rawdon-Smith and Grindley (1935). It is analogous to the Craik-O’Brien-Cornsweet brightness illusion. Procedures are described for generating and measuring the size of the effect, and data are presented showing factors that influence its magnitude. Other examples are discussed that suggest that this effect is a very general phenomenon.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Anstis, S. M. Visual adaptations to gradual changes of intensity.Science, 1967,155, 710–712.
Arend, L. E., Buehler, J. N., &Lockhead, G. R. Difference information in brightness perception.Perception & Psychophysics, 1971,9, 367–370.
Campbell, F. W., Howell, E. R., &Robson, J. G. The appearance of gratings with and without fundamental Fourier component.Journal of Physiology, 1971,17, 17–18.
Cornsweet, T. N.Visual perception. New York: Academic Press, 1970.
Craik, K. J. W.Visual adapration. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, 1940.
Crovitz, H. F. Perceived length and the Craik-O’Brien allusion.Vision Research, 1976,16, 435.
Davidson, M., &Whiteside, J. A. Human brightness perception near sharp contours.Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1971,6, 530–536.
Elmasian, R., &Galanbos, R. Loudness enhancement: Monaural, binaural, and dichotic.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1975,58, 229–234.
Garner, W. R. A technique and a scale for loudness measurement.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1954,26, 73–88.
Irwin, R. J., &Zwislocki, J. J. Loudness effects in pairs of tone bursts.Perception & Psychophysics, 1971,10, 189–192.
Jesteadt, W., Grren, D. M., &Wier, C. C. Auditory analog to the Craik-O’Brien-Cornsweet illusion in vision.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1976,59, S83(A).
Land, E. H., &McCann, J. J. Lightness and retinex theory.Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1971,61, 1–11.
Mackay, D. M. Lateral inhibition between neural channels, sensitive to texture density?Nature, 1973,245, 159–161.
O’Brien, V. Contour perception, illusion and reality.Journal of the Optical Society of America, 1958,48, 112–119.
Ratliff, F.Mach bands’ Quantitative studies on neural networks tn the retina. San Francisco: Holden-Day, 1965.
Rawdon-Smith, A. F., &Grindley, G. C. An illusion in the perception of loudness.British Journal of Psychology, 1935,26, 191–195.
Risset, J. C. Pitch control and pitch paradoxes demonstrated with computer-synthesized sounds.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1969,46, 88(A).
Schouten, J. R., Ritsma, R. J., &Cardozo, B. L. Pitch of the residue.Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1962,34, 1418–1424.
Shepard, R. N. Circularity in judgments of relative pitch.Journal of the Acoustical Socity of America, 1964,36, 2346–2353.
Sherwood, S. L. (Ed.)The nature of psychology A selection of papers, essays and other writings by the late Kenneth J. W. Craik. Cambridge, England: The University Press, 1966.
Shiffman, H., &Crovitz, H. F. A two-stage model of brightness.Vision Research, 1972,12, 2121–2131.
Stevens, J. C., &Hall, J. W. Brightness and loudness as functions of stimulus duration.Perception & Psychophysics, 1966,1, 319–327.
Walker, J. T. A new rotating gradient disk: Brightness, flicker, and brightness after effects.Vision Research, 1974,14, 223–228.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The first and third authors were supported by NIH postdoctoral fellowships. Preparation of this article was supported by the Boys Town Institute for Communication Disorders in Children.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jesteadt, W., Green, D.M. & Wier, C.C. The Rawdon-Smith illusion. Perception & Psychophysics 23, 244–250 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204133
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204133