Abstract
In three experiments, perceived vertical and horizontal distances in outdoor settings were investigated. Horizontal distances were adjusted by 70 subjects to make them appear equal to vertical distances ranging from 2 to 47 m. The results showed that (1) the matched horizontal distance is represented as a linear function of vertical distance; (2) the slope of the linear function is generally larger than unity, suggesting that when vertical distance is physically equal to horizontal distance, vertical distance appears larger than horizontal distance; (3) physiological muscular variables such as eye, head, and body position are not crucial in judging vertical and horizontal distances; (4) vertical distance of a building appears larger when viewed from afar than when viewed from nearby.
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This paper was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Researches (Shorei A: No. 62710072) provided by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture.
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Higashiyama, A., Ueyama, E. The perception of vertical and horizontal distances in outdoor settings. Perception & Psychophysics 44, 151–156 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208707
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03208707