Abstract
The existence of body orientation mental imagery was tested by examining whether self roll tilt imagery affects the subjective visual vertical (SVV). Twenty healthy subjects judged the orientation of a dim luminous bar with respect to gravitational vertical, while normally seated in complete darkness with their head firmly restrained earth vertically. SVV was measured in three conditions: a reference condition with no imagery, and a left and a right imagery condition, during which the bar orientation was to be judged while the subjects imagine themselves roll-tilted towards left or right, respectively. The imagined roll tilts were of the same magnitude as roll tilts which generally induce an E- effect, i.e., an SVV lean toward the side opposite to those of body tilt. If imagery and perception of self roll tilt share common processes, self roll tilt imagery should induce an E-like effect. Results show an imagery- induced E-like effect, which strongly supports the idea that humans can perform mental imagery of body orientation about gravity.
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Received: 4 April 2000 / Accepted: 1 September 2000
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Mertz, S., Lepecq, JC. Imagined body orientation and perception of the visual vertical. Psychological Research Psychologische Forschung 65, 64–70 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/s004260000048
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s004260000048