Abstract
A figural-masking stimulus configuration was presented tachistoscopically for 12 msec with a 120-msec interstimulus interval. Subjects compared the inner diameter of the masking ring with the inner diameter of a comparison ring. In Experiment 1, there were 12 male and 12 female college students who judged stimuli with test-to-inducing-figure contrast ratios of 2:1, 5:6, and 6:5. Illusion magnitude was nonsignificant. In Experiment 2, there were 10 male and 10 female college students who viewed stimuli with a contrast ratio of 150:1. A significant apparent attraction between the (outer) test figure’s inner contour and the (inner) inducing figure’s outer contour was found. A significant main effect for sex was also found, and an attempt was made to explain it in terms of field dependence. We concluded that figural masking may be in the same class as fixation effects and certain geometric illusions, since in each case parallel contours perceived as being simultaneous appear to displace themselves toward one another.
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This paper is based on a master’s thesis completed by the first author in the Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, under the supervision of the second author. Karen L. Neff is now at the Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Field Unit, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
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Neff, K.L., Pollack, R.H. Perceived size change in a masking paradigm with heightened contrast. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 21, 287–290 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334712
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334712