title: Seeing shapes in seemingly random spatial patterns: Fractal analysis of Rorschach inkblots.
abstract: Rorschach inkblots have had a striking impact on the worlds of art and science because of the remarkable variety of associations with recognizable and namable objects they induce. Originally adopted as a projective psychological tool to probe mental health, psychologists and artists have more recently interpreted the variety of induced images simply as a signature of the observers' creativity. Here we analyze the relationship between the spatial scaling parameters of the inkblot patterns and the number of induced associations, and suggest that the perceived images are induced by the fractal characteristics of the blot edges. We discuss how this relationship explains the frequent observation of images in natural scenery.
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America.
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.affiliation: Code 7165, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, United States of America.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Montgomery
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Physics, UNSW Australia, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Micolich
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Boydston
authors.affiliation: Physics Department, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States of America.
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Scannell
authors.affiliation: Department of Sciences and Mathematics, California State University Maritime Academy, Vallejo, CA, United States of America.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Fairbanks
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, UNSW Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spehar
mesh_terms: D017709:Fractals; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012392:Rorschach Test