Abstract
In classical theories of perception, the visual experience is usually a passive reflection of the geometry of the stimulus. In modern “constructive” theories, the stimulus is a source of clues to an active problem-solving process in the visual system. Such theories require specification of what clues are important, and how they are used. This experiment required Ss to name inverted, reflected, and rotated alphabetic characters, scanning both from left to right and from right to left. Results show that neither direction of scan nor orientation of letters individually accounts for performance, but that their interaction does. Ss recognize letters by seeking clues to their identity within the context of the scanning motor sequence. The clues used (the “elements” of recognition) do not correspond directly to formal aspects of the geometry of the letters.
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This work was supported principally by the National Institutes of Health (Grants 1 POl GM-14940-01 and 1 POl GM-15006-01) and in part by the Joint Services Electronics Program (Contract DA 28-043-AMC-02536 (E)). Some of the ideas discussed were worked out in Project Zero at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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Kolers, P.A., Perkins, D.N. Orientation of letters and their speed of recognition. Perception & Psychophysics 5, 275–280 (1969). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209562
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209562