No within-object advantage for detection of rotation.

Full Abstract

It is known that in a detection task the type of rigid transformation to be detected (reflection vs. translation) interacts with the type of display (closed vs. open contours). The advantage for closed contours found with reflection is believed to be a general within-object advantage, whilst the advantage for open contours found with translation is an exception, described as a lock-and-key process (Acta Psychol. 95 (1997) 119). We tested rotation, using a reaction time paradigm, and found the same result as for translation. Moreover, we found that the critical factor is not the number of objects present, rather it is whether the comparison is made across a surface or across an aperture between surfaces. Post-experiment interviews did not confirm any difference for observers who reported using a conscious lock-and-key mental transformation. We speculate that seeing a translation or a rotation across a closed figure is difficult because the closure of the figure emphasises the mismatch of the contour polarities on the two sides of the figure. That is, there may be a closed object advantage for detecting a difference in polarity which interferes with the task of detecting a regularity in shape. Evidence from the analysis of foil rejection trials supports such a speculation.

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Author information

Author/s: Bertamini, Marco (M); Friedenberg, Jay (J); Argyle, Laurence (L);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Liverpool. m.bertamini(-atsign-)liverpool.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Acta psychologica (Acta Psychol (Amst)), published in Netherlands. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Jul; vol 111 (issue 1) : pp 59-81

Dates: Created 2002/07/09; Completed 2002/10/10; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 12102121, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adult
Analysis of Variance
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology

Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Reaction Time - physiology
Rotation
Students - psychology
Visual Perception - physiology

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