A case of viewer-centered object perception

Abstract

Despite the fact that we necessarily view objects from one particular position, we generally achieve representations of them that transcend that special viewpoint. Shape constancy can be regarded as illustrating such object-centered perception. Nonetheless, there are cases where we fail to achieve such representations and an experiment with this outcome is described here. Three-dimensional wire objects were employed that were viewed nearby with all cues to depth available. Displacement of such a three-dimensional object brings about a considerable qualitative change in the shape of its retinal image. After viewing the objects in a particular position, recognition was subsequently tested when the object either (a) remained in the same position, (b) was displaced laterally from upper left to lower right or vice versa, or upper right to lower left or vice versa, or (c) changed its position as in b but was rotated to produce the same retinal projection as in a. The result was an appreciable drop in the recognition of the objects in b, the displacement of which resulted in an altered retinal projection. Some reasons were suggested for this dominance of the viewer-centered (or egocentric) character of perception resulting in failure in the achievement of object-centered representation.