This paper is a comment on the preceding paper in this issue by Pressey and Bross. The author reviews his position on the reversed Müller–Lyer illusion in which the illusion is explained in terms of the ‘enclosing nature’ of the ingoing fins. The two difficulties with this explanation pointed out by Pressey and Bross are discussed. Recent experimental work on the effects of enclosures is reported. A critique of Pressey and Bross's explanation of the reversed Müller–Lyer illusion is presented.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
ErlebacherA.SekulerR., 1969, “Explanation of the Müller–Lyer illusion: Confusion theory examined”, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 80, 462–467
2.
FellowsB. J., 1967, “Reversal of the Müller–Lyer illusion with changes in the length of the inter fins line”, Quarterly Journal of Psychology, 19, 208–214
3.
FellowsB. J., 1968, “The reverse Müller–Lyer illusion and ‘enclosure’”, British Journal of Psychology, 59, 369–372
4.
FellowsB. J.ThornD., 1973, “A test of Piaget's theory of the Müller–Lyer illusion”, British Journal of Psychology, 64, 83–90
5.
GregoryR. L., 1963, “Distortion of visual space as inappropriate constancy scaling”, Nature, 199, 678–680
6.
HeymansG., 1896, “Quantitative Untersuchungen über das ‘optische Paradoxen’”, Zeitschrift für Psychologie, 9, 221–255
7.
KünnapasT. M., 1955, “Influence of frame size on apparent length of a line”, Journal of Experimental Psychology, 50, 168–170
8.
PiagetJ., 1969, The Mechanisms of Perception (Routledge and Kegan Paul, London)
9.
PresseyA. W., 1972, “The assimilation theory of geometric illusions: An additional postulate”, Perception and Psychophysics, 11, 28–30
10.
RobinsonJ., 1972, The Psychology of Visual Illusion (Hutchinson, London)
11.
SayonsK.PrysiazniukA. W., 1963, “Kinetic frame effects: 1. Alpha motion”, Perceptual and Motor Skills, 16, 581–584
12.
ThornD., 1973, “The Müller–Lyer illusion and Piaget's notion of virtual features”, unpublished report, Department of Social Studies, Portsmouth Polytechnic, Portsmouth, England
13.
YanagisawaN., 1939, “Reversed illusion in the Müller–Lyer illusion”, Japanese Journal of Psychology, 14, 321–326
