ILLUSION

In simple terms, illusion is said to be as distorted perceptions of stimuli that actually exist. Where
Perception is the organizing process by which we interpret our sensory input (Fantino & Reynolds,
(1975)). It is a selective process of cognition i.e., selected stimuli around an organism are organized and
interpreted to make them meaningful.

The phenomena that generate a conflict between perception and reality (or perception and our conception
of reality) are, for better or worse referred to as Illusion (Shapiro &Todorovic, (2017)). Perceptual
learning is responsible for a number of illusions. In an illusion, length, position, motion, curvature or
direction is consistently misjudged. To detect an illusion, you may have to measure a drawing or apply a
straight edge to it. Illusions are a fascinating challenge to our understanding of perception. On occasions,
they also have practical uses. An illusion called stroboscopic movement puts the motion in motion
pictures (Coon, D & Mitterer, J. O 2007).

Size and shape constancy, habitual eye movements, continuity and perceptual habits combine in various
ways to produce the illusions. Perceptual constancy plays an important role in forming illusions. They
allow us to perceive fundamental characteristics of the world around us even when the information
arriving at our sense organs change dramatically as a result of different source wavelengths, different
source intensities, different distances from the object or different viewing angles. The size-distance
principle is fundamental in understanding a number of size illusions like moon illusion. Although the
experiment we have to discuss is visual, constancies also occur in other senses. Whatever the sensory
modality be, constancies depend on relations between features of the stimulus- between retinal size and
distance in the case of size constancy, between the intensity of two adjacent regions in the case of
lightness constancy, and so forth (Nolen-Hoeksema, Fredrickson, Loftus & Wagenaar, 2009).

Perceptual constancies: Perceptual constancies refer to the ability of our perceptual system to maintain
stable perceptions of objects despite variations in the sensory input we receive. Essentially, it's the brain's
ability to perceive objects as stable and unchanging even when there are changes in the size, shape, color,
or other properties of the object as it appears to our senses. Perceptual constancies are divided into three;
color or brightness constancy, shape constancy & size constancy. Among these, size constancy is applied
in horizontal-vertical illusion.

Size constancy: The perceived size of an object remains the same, even though the size of its image
on the retina changes (Coon, D & Mitterer, J. O (2007)). The most thoroughly studied of all the
perceptual constancies is size constancy. It refers to the idea that an object’s perceived size remains
relatively constant no matter how far away or nearer it is. For example, we perceive a 6 feet tall man
as somewhat 6 feet tall despite the distance at which he is present. Even if he moves farther away
from us, we generally do not see a decrease in his size.

When looking backward to the history of illusion; the first discovered illusion, according to chronological
order, was illusion of induced motion by Lucretius in 1 st century bce and Euclid in 3 rd century bce. Then
comes the illusion of color contrast which was discovered in 4 th century bce by Aristotle and later on
developed by Ibn al-Haytham in 11th century ce. The prominent moon illusion seems to be referred to in
6th century bce, Mesopotamian clay tablets. The modern period of the study of illusions arguably started
with J.J Oppel’s (1854-1855) paper on geometrical-optical illusions (Shapiro &Todorovic, (2017)).

Geometrical-Optical Illusion:

The illusions that attracted the interest of many 19 th century visual scientists were those labeled as
“geometrical optical” by Oppel. He presented very simple drawings in which single or parallel lines
appeared to be bent by the superimposition of angled lines. Geometrical optical illusions consist of
relatively small but reliable distortions of visual space, mostly on the size or orientation (Wade, 2017).

HORIZONTAL-VERTICAL ILLUSION

The horizontal-vertical illusion is a configuration displaying distortions of both dimensions, which was
described by the German physician, Adolf-Fick (1829-1901; 1851), in the course of studying astigmatism
(Wade, 2017). It is the tendency of the observers to overestimate the length of a vertical line relative to a
horizontal line that has the same length. It incorporates both orientation and extent, whereas most others
involve one of these dimensions alone. One explanation of this illusion is that the visual field is elongated
in the horizontal direction and that the horizontal-vertical illusion is a kind of framing effect (Kunnapas,
1957a,1957b,1957c). Another explanation from perceptual cue’s view suggests that, in judging the
relative length of vertical and horizontal lines, subjects are more accurate with monocular than with the
binocular presentation, because the combined visual field i.e., left and right eyes together, is a
horizontally oriented ellipse, vertical lines will generally be closer to the boundary of the visual field than
will the horizontal lines and hence vertical lines will appear longer. This explanation follows from the
observation that the monocular visual field is less asymmetric than the combined field. Importantly,
monocular viewing affected the illusion only when such viewing changed the shape of the visual field
(Prinzmetal, W., & Gettleman, L., (1993))

In an inverted “T” figure, in which the horizontal and vertical lines are equal, the apparent length of the
vertical is about 10% greater than the horizontal. Finger and Spelt (1947) and later Kunnapass (1955a),
using two figures, an inverted “T” and an “L”, showed that both the verticality of one line and its
bisection of the other contribute to the effect. When bisection is eliminated, the illusion is reduced, but the
vertical is still consistently judged to be about 3-5% longer than the horizontal (Avery, G. C., & Day, R.
H. (1969) p376-380)

Cross-cultural consistency: Rivers conducted several studies of illusions among a wide variety of
populations. The results obtained by Rivers led him to the conclusion that all populations tested were
prone to illusions but differed in their sensitivity and these differences varied with illusions. The
horizontal-vertical illusion was found to be distinct & more marked to the Todas and the Papuans of
Tamil nadu & Indonasia than Europeans (Deregowski, 2017)
Psychophysical methods used in horizontal-vertical illusion experiment:

Psychophysics can be defined as a branch of psychology dealing with the relationship between the
physical stimuli and their sensory experiences. Psychophysics was introduced and established by Gaustav
Fetchner in 1860. ‘The methods used to study stimulus response relationship in which stimuli are varied
along a physical dimension are commonly called psychophysical methods’ (Underwood, 1965) These
psychophysical methods are produced through which an experimenter may quantify the relation between
a stimulus and its sensation (Hussain, A. (2014)).

1. Point of subjective equality or PSE: According to Mishra (2008), PSE refers to the point or value
at which we experience the stimulus to be equal or similar. At the time of perception of some
stimulus the perceiver makes estimation about the stimulus being perceived. Such type of
estimation suffers from two types of errors. Either the stimulus is overestimated or
underestimated from the actual value of the stimulus. Thus, PSE is that value of variable stimulus
which is perceived equal to the standard stimulus (Hussain, A. (2014)).
In horizontal-vertical illusion experiment, the subject adjusts the length of the vertical line to
make it equal to the standard horizontal line, say 8 cm. The length of the vertical line is usually
overestimated by the subject most of the times. On an average, the subject perceives the vertical
line to be equal to the horizontal line at the length of, say 6.5 cm. Thus, the 6.5 cm length is said
to be the PSE of the subject. In this way, the subject underestimates the length of vertical line by
1.5 cm. It indicates errors in the perception of length of two lines as the subject perceives the 6.5
cm length of vertical line as equal to 8 cm length of the horizontal line.

2. Space error and Movement error: In some psychological experiments the chances of occurrence
of these errors are high. These errors are caused either because of the relative position of the
variable stimulus or because of direction of movement of variable stimulus. When the judgment
of the subject is affected by the relative position of the variable stimulus (right-hand side or left-
hand side), the error of judgment is called space error. When the judgment is affected because of
the direction of the movement of variable stimulus (inward or outward), the error in judgment is
known as movement error. The factors causing these errors are considered as extraneous factors
(Hussain, (2014)).
The movement error is present in horizontal-vertical illusion experiment. These errors can be
adjusted by the experimenter by making suitable provisions. Here the subject is supposed to
adjust the length of the vertical line to make it equal to the horizontal line by moving the variable
stimulus to the inward or outward directions. In 50% of the trials of the experiment, the subject is
asked to adjust the length of the vertical line by moving it to the inward direction and in
remaining 50% by moving it to the outward direction. Thus, the movement error can be balanced.
This exercise helps in checking the effect of direction of movement of variable stimulus on the
subject’s judgment. Difference in direction of movement of variable stimulus may produce
difference in their corresponding sensation. As a result, the subject’s decision can be affected. In
the said experiment, this error can be adjusted by equalizing the chance of occurrence of the error
in two different conditions of the experiment. It is calculated by MO-MI (MO: mean of outward
direction, MI: mean of inward direction) (Hussain, (2014)).
 3. Method of constant stimuli: The method of constant stimuli is also known as method of right and
wrong case/frequency method/constant stimuli differences. This method is used to measure
various thresholds. It is also applied for determining equal sense distances and also for the
determination of psychophysical constant. According to Woodworth and Schlosberg (1954) ‘the
constant method is most accurate and most widely applicable of all psychophysical methods’. It
estimates experimental error as found in the method of limits and method of average error. This
method differs from the method of limits with regard to the presentation of variable stimulus. In
method of limits variable stimuli are presented to the subject in serial order (ascending and
descending), but in this method the stimuli are presented in random order so that habituation and
anticipation error can be checked. In this method, the standard stimuli either precede the variable
stimulus or follow the variable stimulus. Thus, the variable stimulus precedes and follows the
standard stimulus in equal number in the whole experiment. Every time the subject is asked to
judge whether the preceding stimulus value was smaller, equal or larger than the value of
stimulus that follows. Therefore, each time the subject is required to compare the magnitude of
two stimuli in order to give his or her judgment. When the method is used to determine absolute
threshold (RL), it is called method of constant stimuli and when it is used to determine just
noticeable difference or differential threshold (DL), then it’s called method of constant stimulus
difference. Determination of RL of any sensory stimulus is possible with the help of this method
(Hussain, (2014)).

4. Method of average error: The method of average error is one of the important psychophysical
methods. This method is also known as method of adjustment/method of reproduction/method of
equation because this is the method of measuring the strength of sensory threshold. Method of
average error is basically concerned with matching the variable stimulus with the standard
stimulus and finding the error resulting from the matching. Here, the subject is asked to adjust the
variable stimulus until it is perceived equal to the standard stimulus. Titchener (1905) states that
this method is a gift from physics and astronomy to psychophysics. The method is illustrated by
presenting two stimuli to the subject. The stimulus of constant value called standard stimuli; the
horizontal line and the stimulus of varying value; the vertical line of horizontal-vertical illusion
experiment respectively. As the subject adjusts the variable stimulus either by decreasing or
increasing its magnitude in order to be equal with the standard stimulus, an estimate of the
magnitude of the error in judgment can be seen. By calculating the mean of the errors of
judgment occurred in several observations, the errors of judgment are obtained (Hussain, (2014)).

Aim:

To study the effect of varying stimuli presentation on the extend of horizontal-vertical illusion.

Method:

Subject:

Name
Age

Gender

Educational qualification

Materials required:

 Horizontal-vertical illusion board

 Writing materials

Procedure:

Arrange all the required materials and prepare a calm and quite experimental setting. Seat the subject
comfortably and establish a good rapport to reduce test anxiety. Conduct the experiment in two series;
ascending and descending.

I. Ascending series: On the horizontal-vertical line illusion board, the vertical line is made shorter
than the horizontal line in this series. The subject is instructed to say stop when he/she estimates
the length of the vertical line as equal to that of the horizontal line while the experimenter adjusts
the length of the vertical line by pulling it slightly in the outward from the horizontal line in such
a way that the length of the line increases. Subject’s judgment is noted.
II. Descending series: Here, the vertical line is made higher than the horizontal line and the subject is
given instruction to say stop when he/she estimates the length of the vertical line as equal to that
of the horizontal line while the experimenter adjusts the length of the vertical line by pushing it
slightly in the inward to the horizontal line in such a way that the length of the vertical line
decreases by each move. Subject’s judgment is noted.

Conduct 10 such trials. Note that, each of the ascending and descending trials have to be done
alternatively. Give a resting period of 30 seconds to the subject after each trial. The speed with which the
experiment is done must be uniform throughout in both ascending and descending series.

Table 01: Scores obtained by the subject in ascending and descending series of horizontal-vertical line
illusion experiment.

No: of trials Ascending series Descending series

1 7.5 6.6
2 7.4 6.7
3 6.9 7.3
4 7.3 7.2
5 6.9 6.4
6 7.0 6.4
7 6.4 7.2
8 6.6 6.9
9 6.4 6.6
10 6.6 6.7
Total average error 6.9 6.8
Extend of illusion in ascending series of horizontal-vertical illusion: 8 - 6.9 = 1.1

Extend of illusion in descending series of horizontal-vertical illusion: 8 - 6.8 = 1.2

Difference in extend of illusion: 1.2 – 1.1 = 0.1

Scoring:

Value of PSE of the subject for ascending series of horizontal-vertical illusion can be obtained by
subtracting the value of average error of ascending series, HV illusion i.e., 6.9 from the value of standard
horizontal line’s length i.e., 8. Similarly value of PSE of the subject for descending series of horizontal-
vertical illusion can be obtained by subtracting the value of average error of descending series, HV
illusion i.e., 6.8 from the value of standard horizontal line’s length i.e., 8. Difference in extend of
horizontal-vertical illusion of the subject can be obtained by subtracting PSEs of ascending and
descending series of horizontal-vertical illusion experiment.

REFERENCES

Coon, D., & Mitterer, J. O. (2007). Introduction to psychology. Cengage learning.

Nolen-Hoeksema., Fredrickson., Loftus., & Wagenaar. (2009). Atkinson and Hilgard’s psychology:
introduction.Cengage learning.

Postman, L., & Egan, J. P. (2016). Experimental psychology: An introduction. Kalyani publishers.

Hussain, A. (2014). Experiments in psychology. PHI Learning Private Limited.

Wade, J. N. (2017). Early history of illusions. In A. G. Shapiro & D. Todorovic. The oxford compendium
of visual illusions.(p 3). Oxford University Press. http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038872.

Deregowski, J. B. (2017). Cross cultural studies of illusions. In A. G. Shapiro & D. Todorovic. The
oxford compendium of visual illusions.(p 3). Oxford University Press. http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038872

Avery, G. C., & Day, R. H. (1969). Basis of the horizontal-vertical illusion. Journal Of Experimental
Psychology,81(2),376-380.DOI:10.1037/h0027737
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/17373928_Basis_of_the_horizontal-vertical_illusion

Prinzmetal, W., & Gettleman, L. (1993). Vertical-horizontal illusion: One eye is better than two.
Perception & Psychophysics, 53(1), 81-88. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.3758/BF03211717