Abstract
In attempting to judge whether a briefly presented rotated figure was symmetrical (circle or square) or asymmetrical (ellipse or rectangle), a bias towards perceiving symmetry was evident. This bias appears to be perceptual rather than judgmental in origin in that it was affected neither by variations in the probability of occurrence of symmetrical figures nor by familiarization with the stimuli. A characterization of the stimulus similarity space based on the shape-slant invariance hypothesis is presented, and a model which incorporates both the similarity space and the symmetry bias is proposed. The model can account for our paradoxical finding that the more asymmetrical some projected images, the more likely they will be perceived as symmetrical. This model can also account for Massaro’s (1973, 1975) results on shape constancy. However, Massaro’s theory was not supported in that extension in depth did not account for increased difficulty of shape judgments.
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This research was supported, in part, by National Institute of Mental Health Grant MH 22383 to Irving Biederman. The authors express their appreciation to D. W. Massaro and V. R. Carlson for their critical and helpful comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.
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King, M., Meyer, G.E., Tangney, J. et al. Shape constancy and a perceptual bias towards symmetry. Perception & Psychophysics 19, 129–136 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204219
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204219