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The relationship between perceived length and egocentric location in Müller-Lyer figures with one versus two chevrons

Perception & Psychophysics volume 66, pages 1095–1104 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

We examined the apparent dissociation of perceived length and perceived position with respect to the Müller-Lyer (M-L) illusion. With the traditional (two-chevron) figure, participants made accurate open-loop pointing responses at the endpoints of the shaft, despite the presence of a strong length illusion. This apparently non-Euclidean outcome replicated that of Mack, Heuer, Villardi, and Chambers (1985) and Gillam and Chambers (1985) and contradicts any theory of the M-L illusion in which mislocalization of shaft endpoints plays a role. However, when one of the chevrons was removed, a constant pointing error occurred in the predicted direction, as well as a strong length illusion. Thus, with onechevron stimuli, perceived length and location were no longer completely dissociated. We speculated that the presence of two opposing chevrons suppresses the mislocalizing effects of a single chevron, especially for figures with relatively short shafts.

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Author information

Affiliations

  1. NASA Ames Research Center, Mail Stop 262-2, 94035, Moffett Field, CA

    Robert B. Welch

  2. University of California, Davis, California

    Robert B. Post

  3. California State University, San Jose, California

    Wayland Lum

  4. University of California, Berkeley, California

    William Prinzmetal

Authors
  1. Robert B. Welch
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  2. Robert B. Post
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  3. Wayland Lum
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  4. William Prinzmetal
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert B. Welch.

Additional information

This work was supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Project UPN 199-16-12-34).

Note—This article was accepted by the previous editorial team, headed by Neil Macmillan.

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Welch, R.B., Post, R.B., Lum, W. et al. The relationship between perceived length and egocentric location in Müller-Lyer figures with one versus two chevrons. Perception & Psychophysics 66, 1095–1104 (2004). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196838

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196838

Keywords

  • Visual Angle
  • Chevron
  • Preceding Experiment
  • Shaft Length
  • Critical Figure