title: The visual perception of exocentric distance in outdoor settings.
abstract: The ability of 20 younger (mean age was 21.8years) and older adults (mean age was 71.5years) to visually perceive exocentric distances outdoors was evaluated. The observers adjusted the extent of in-depth spatial intervals until they appeared identical to fronto-parallel intervals of 4 and 8m. The frontal and in-depth intervals were viewed from a distance of 8m. Almost all of the observers' judgments were inaccurate and most reflected perceptual compressions in depth: e.g., an in-depth interval of 10m would appear to have the same extent as a physically smaller 8m frontal interval. Some observers' judgments, however, were consistent with perceptual expansions of in-depth intervals. No significant effects of age were obtained in the current study: both younger and older adults exhibited perceptual compressions and expansions of in-depth intervals. This outcome differs from that of a recent experiment conducted by our laboratory (Vision Research 109 (2015) 52-58) that found the judgments of younger adults to be less accurate than those of older adults. A comparison of the former and current results revealed that while older adults perform similarly outdoors and indoors, the accuracy of younger adults' exocentric judgements improves substantially in outdoor settings (so that the accuracy becomes similar to that exhibited by older adults).
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101-2030, United States. Electronic address: Farley.Norman@wku.edu.
authors.forename: J Farley
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Norman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101-2030, United States.
authors.forename: Olivia C
authors.initials: OC
authors.lastname: Adkins
authors.affiliation: Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science, Bowling Green, KY 42101-1031, United States.
authors.forename: Lauren E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101-2030, United States.
authors.forename: Cecia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Reyes
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Program, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02481, United States.
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Wulff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Sciences, Ogden College of Science and Engineering, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101-2030, United States.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tungate
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004215:Distance Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010469:Perceptual Distortion / Q000502:physiology; D011601:Psychophysics; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult