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The Effects of Information and Training on the Discrimination of Size in Different Planes of Space

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Abstract

Subjects were required to make size discriminations comparing circular targets in horizontal and vertical planes of space. Comparisons were made in a totally darkened room void of any extrinsic cues for size or distance. Significant differences were noted when horizontal and vertical targets of equal size were compared. The horizontal target was estimated as much larger than the target in the vertical plane. Results were interpreted to indicate that head position was a critical variable in making size estimates under these experimental conditions. Subjects also were trained to compensate for the distortions in size induced by changing head position and were found to improve significantly in their size estimations. The results are further interpreted in the framework of a visual-vestibular interaction hypothesis.

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Zinkus, P.W., Mountjoy, P.T. The Effects of Information and Training on the Discrimination of Size in Different Planes of Space. Psychol Rec 28, 383–390 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394550

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03394550

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