Abstract
Observers misperceive the orientation of a vertical rod when it is viewed in the context of a tilted frame (therod and frame illusion, or RFI). The pitch and roll of the surrounding surfaces have independent influences on this illusion (Nelson & Prinzmetal, 2003). Experiment 1 measured the RFI when the pitch and roll of the floor that supported the observer was varied, and the observer was either seated in a chair or standing upright. There were additive influences of pitch and roll on the RFI of seated but not standing observers. Experiments 2 and 3 decoupled body roll and head roll in order to isolate the vestibular and proprioceptive contributions to these effects. The results are interpreted in support of a hierarchy of influence on the RFI: Visual input is given top priority, followed by vestibular input, and then proprioceptive input.
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This research was supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Discovery Grant to J.T.E.
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Corbett, J.E., Enns, J.T. Observer pitch and roll influence: The rod and frame illusion. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 13, 160–165 (2006). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193828
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193828