Aging and the perceptual organization of 3-D scenes.
In the current study, the authors investigated whether the ground dominance effect (the use of ground surface information for the perceptual organization of scenes) varied with age. In Experiment 1, a scene containing a ground, a ceiling, and 2 vertical posts was presented. The scene was either in its normal orientation or rotated to the side. In Experiment 2, a blue dot was attached to each post, with location varied from bottom to top of the posts. In Experiment 3, a scene similar to that in Experiment 1 was presented in different locations in visual field. Observers judged which of the 2 objects (posts in Experiments 1 and 3, blue dots in Experiment 2) appeared to be closer. The results indicated that both younger (mean age = 22 years) and older observers (mean age = 73 years) responded consistently with the ground dominance effect. However, the magnitude of the effect decreased for older observers. These results suggest a decreased use of ground surface information by older observers for the perceptual organization of scene layout.
Department of Psychology, University of California.
Zheng
Z
Bian
Department of Psychology, University of California.
George J
GJ
Andersen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001288:Attention; D003867:Depth Perception; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004215:Distance Perception; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009903:Optical Illusions; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011601:Psychophysics; D012718:Set, Psychology; D012858:Size Perception