title: Measuring perceived ceiling height in a visual comparison task.
abstract: When judging interior space, a dark ceiling is judged to be lower than a light ceiling. The method of metric judgments (e.g., on a centimetre scale) that has typically been used in such tasks may reflect a genuine perceptual effect or it may reflect a cognitively mediated impression. We employed a height-matching method in which perceived ceiling height had to be matched with an adjustable pillar, thus obtaining psychometric functions that allowed for an estimation of the point of subjective equality (PSE) and the difference limen (DL). The height-matching method developed in this paper allows for a direct visual match and does not require metric judgment. It has the added advantage of providing superior precision. Experiment 1 used ceiling heights between 2.90 m and 3.00 m. The PSE proved sensitive to slight changes in perceived ceiling height. The DL was about 3% of the physical ceiling height. Experiment 2 found similar results for lower (2.30 m to 2.50 m) and higher (3.30 m to 3.50 m) ceilings. In Experiment 3, we additionally varied ceiling lightness (light grey vs. dark grey). The height matches showed that the light ceiling appeared significantly higher than the darker ceiling. We therefore attribute the influence of ceiling lightness on perceived ceiling height to a direct perceptual rather than a cognitive effect.
authors.affiliation: a Psychologisches Institut, Abteilung Allgemeine Experimentelle Psychologie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: von Castell
authors.affiliation: a Psychologisches Institut, Abteilung Allgemeine Experimentelle Psychologie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Heiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.affiliation: a Psychologisches Institut, Abteilung Allgemeine Experimentelle Psychologie , Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oberfeld
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D004215:Distance Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011594:Psychometrics; D011601:Psychophysics; D013028:Space Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Architectural psychology; Architecture; Ceiling height; Distance; Interior design; Interior space; Perceived size; Psychophysics; Virtual reality; Visual perception