Perception of two-body center of mass.
Participants estimated the perceptual center of mass between two horizontally oriented black dots varying in size and distance. Experiment 1 showed that estimates, measured as distance from the larger dot's center, decreased with an increase in size ratio between the dots and a decrease in the distance between them, as predicted by the physical center-of-mass equation. The results were replicated and extended in further experiments with different ratios and distances. In all experiments, the true center was consistently overestimated, either because the stimuli were perceived in a low dimensionality or because of a hesitancy to place estimates near the larger dot's edge. In Experiment 4, the center was deliberately placed near this edge for one- and two-dimensional solutions. Participants still overestimated, indicating an "edge effect" as responsible.
Department of Psychology, Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA. jfrieden@manhattan.edu
Jay
J
Friedenberg
Bruce
B
Liby
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011601:Psychophysics; D012858:Size Perception; D014892:Weight Perception