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The constancy of object orientation: Effects of target inclination

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Summary

The constancy of object orientation was investigated by tilting S backwards at angles of 0°, 25°, 50°, or 75° in the median plane in order to match a line target, previously presented with S upright. The orientation of the target was either 0° (vertical), 30° or 60° (top toward S). The task entailed the perception of target orientation relative to the direction of gravity, hence S's body tilt had to be taken into account. Ss showed nearly perfect constancy in all conditions, however line tilt was a significant factor. Errors in matching the target orientation did not vary with body tilt although errors in apparent body orientation yielded a negatively accelerated function of body tilt. Several paradigms representing orientation constancy were discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA

    Sheldon M. Ebenholtz

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  1. Sheldon M. Ebenholtz
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Additional information

This study was supported in part by Grant MH 13006-06 from the National Institute of Mental Health, United States Public Health Service. The manuscript was prepared while on leave as a Killam Senior Fellow at Dalhousie University. The author thanks Gordon Redding, Ken Paap, and Tom Lockhart for their aid in the collection and analysis of data.

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Ebenholtz, S.M. The constancy of object orientation: Effects of target inclination. Psychol. Forsch. 35, 178–186 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00542689

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00542689

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