The Effect of Retinal Size on the Perception of Distance in Photographs

Abstract

The effect of the retinal size of a target on the perception of absolute distance to a single target and relative distance between near and far targets was examined with photographic displays including two persons. Retinal size was systematically varied by varying the focal length of the camera lens, the display size, and the viewing distance. The results showed that, although the relationship between the perceived absolute distance and retinal size was not inversely proportional, the perceived absolute distance decreased with an increase in retinal size. This was more evident when the retinal size was changed by varying the focal length. These results suggest that the determinants of the perceived absolute distance were not only the retinal size of the target but also its ratio to the overall display. The results also showed that the perceived relative distances were little influenced by retinal size, but were strongly dependent on the size ratio of the two targets in the display.