Five experiments were conducted in order to determine which of two hypotheses, initially proposed by Rock (1990), accounts for interactions between oriented elements in a visual scene. We also explored the suggestion that two hypothetical processes--namely, frame of reference and hierarchical organization--describe phenomena arising from distinct mechanisms (Spinelli, Antonucci, Daini, Martelli, & Zoccolotti, 1999). Double inducing stimulus versions of one-dimensional and two-dimensional tilt illusions, the rod-and-frame illusion, and combinations of these were used. Our data suggest that both hypotheses can predict orientation interactions in conditions in which only one mechanism--namely, the global visual mechanism of symmetry axes extraction (Wenderoth & Beh, 1977)--is activated. Which hypothesis is appropriate to predict the perceived orientation depends on some physical features of the objects.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Medical and Health Sciences
Research Group:	Neurosciences
Research Field:	Sensory Systems
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical Health (Organs, Diseases and Abnormal Conditions)
Objective Field:	Hearing, Vision, Speech and Their Disorders
Author:	Smith, ST (Associate Professor Stuart Smith)
ID Code:	85514
Year Published:	2003
Web of Science® Times Cited:	6
Deposited By:	Health Sciences A
Deposited On:	2013-07-12
Last Modified:	2013-07-12
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