A distance judgment function based on space perception mechanisms: revisiting Gilinsky's (1951) equation.
In her seminal article in Psychological Review, A. S. Gilinsky (1951) successfully described the relationship between physical distance (D) and perceived distance (d) with the equation d = DA/(A + D), where A = constant. To understand its theoretical underpinning, the authors of the current article capitalized on space perception mechanisms based on the ground surface to derive the distance equation d = Hcosalpha/sin(alpha + eta), where H is the observer's eye height, alpha is the angular declination below the horizon, and eta is the slant error in representing the ground surface. Their equation predicts that (a) perceived distance is affected by the slant error in representing the ground surface; (b) when the slant error is small, the ground-based equation takes the same form as Gilinsky's equation; and (c) the parameter A in Gilinsky's equation represents the ratio of the observer's eye height to the sine of the slant error. These predictions were empirically confirmed, thus bestowing a theoretical foundation on Gilinsky's equation.
Ooi
Teng Leng
TL
Department of Basic Sciences, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Elkins Park, PA 19027, USA. tlooi@pco.edu
He
Zijiang J
ZJ
D004215:Distance Perception; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011582:Psychological Theory; D013028:Space Perception