The possibility of sex differences in responses to visual-geometric illusions was investigated with the use of forty-five illusion variants and a sample of 221 observers. No difference in illusion magnitude as a function of sex was found. A second experiment measured illusion decrement and transfer of decrement to other illusion configurations. Again there were no significant differences between male and female observers.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
von BékéseyG, 1967Sensory Inhibition (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press)
2.
BieriJBradburnWGalinskyN, 1958“Sex differences in perceptual behavior”Journal of Personality261–12
3.
BogoNWingetCGleserG C, 1970“Ego defensive and perceptual style”Perceptual and Motor Skills30599–604
4.
BurnhamC A, 1968“Decrement in the Müller-Lyer illusion with saccadic and tracking eye movements”Perception and Psychophysics12466–470
5.
BurnsB DPritchardR, 1971“Geometrical illusions and the response of neurons in the cat's visual cortex to angle patterns”Journal of Physiology (London)213599–616
6.
ChiangC, 1968“A new theory to explain geometrical illusions produced by crossing lines”Perception and Psychophysics3174–176
7.
CorenS, 1969“The influence of optical aberrations on the magnitude of the Poggendorff illusion”Perception and Psychophysics6185–186
8.
CorenS, 1970“Lateral inhibition and geometric illusions”Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology22274–278
9.
CorenSGirgusJ S, 1972a“A comparison of five methods of illusion measurement”Behavior Research Methods and Instrumentation4240–244
10.
CorenSGirgusJ S, 1972b“Illusion decrement in intersecting line figures”Psychonomic Science26108–110
11.
CorenSGirgusJ S, 1973“Differentiation and decrement in the Müller-Lyer illusion”Perception and Psychophysics12466–470
12.
CorenSGirgusJ S, 1974“Transfer of illusion decrement as a function of perceived similarity”Journal of Experimental Psychology102881–887
13.
CorenSGirgusJ S, 1975“A size illusion based upon a minimal interposition cue”Perception4251–254
14.
CorenSGirgusJ SEhrlichmanHHakstianA R, 1976“An empirical taxonomy of visual illusions”Perception and Psychophysics20129–137
15.
CorenSHoenigP, 1972“Eye movements and decrement in the Oppel-Kundt illusion”Perception and Psychophysics12224–225
16.
CorenSWardL MPoracCFraserR, 1978“The effect of optical blur on visual-geometric illusions”Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society11390–392
17.
DayR H, 1962“The effects of repeated trials and prolonged fixation on error in the Müller-Lyer figure”Psychological Monographs21504–520
18.
DayR H, 1972“Visual spatial illusions: A general explanation”Science1751335–1340
19.
DewarR E, 1968“Distribution of practice and the Müller-Lyer illusion”Perception and Psychophysics3246–248
20.
ErlebacherASekulerR, 1969“Exploration of the Müller-Lyer ülusion: Confusion theory re-examined”Journal of Experimental Psychology80462–467
21.
FestingerLWhiteC WAllynM R, 1968“Eye movements and decrement in the Müller-Lyer illusion”Perception and Psychophysics3376–382
22.
FraissePVautreyP, 1956“The influence of age, sex and specialized training on the vertical-horizontal illusion”Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology8114–120
23.
GanzL, 1966“Is the figurai after-effect an after-effect?”Psychological Bulletin66151–165
24.
GarronD C, 1970“Sex-linked recessive inheritance of spatial and numerical abilities, and Turner's syndrome”Psychological Review77147–152
25.
GillamB, 1971“A depth processing theory of the Poggendorff illusion”Perception and 1 Psychophysics10211–216
26.
GillamB, 1973“The nature of size scaling in the Ponzo and related illusions”Perception and Psychophysics14353–357
27.
GirgusJ SCorenS, 1975“Depth cues and constancy scaling in the horizontal — vertical illusion”Canadian Journal of Psychology2959–65
28.
GirgusJ SCorenSAgdernM, 1972“The interrelationship between the Ebbinghaus and Delboeuf illusions”Journal of Experimental Psychology95453–455
29.
GirgusJ SCorenSDurantMPoracC, 1975“The assessment of components involved in ülusion formation using a long term decrement procedure”Perception and Psychophysics18144–148
30.
GirgusJ SCorenSHorowitzL, 1973“Peripheral and central components in variants of the Müller-Lyer ülusion”Perception and Psychophysics13157–160
31.
GirgusJ SCorenSPoracC, 1977“Independence of in vivo human lens pigmentation from U.V. light exposure”Vision Research17749–750
32.
GoldsteinA GChanceJ E, 1965“Effects of practice on sex-related differences in performance on embedded figures”Psychonomic Science3361–362
33.
GregoryR L, 1963“Distortion of visual space as inappropriate constancy scaling”Nature (London)199678–680
GrossF, 1959“The role of set in perception of the upright”Journal of Personality2795–103
36.
HartmannD PGelfandD MCourtneyR JJrMaloufR E, 1972“Successive presentation of elements of the Müller-Lyer figure and CA, MA and IQ: An age extension and unsuccessful replication”Child Development431060–1066
37.
ImmergluckLMeariniM C, 1969“Age and sex difference in response to embedded figures and reversible figures”Journal of Experimental Child Psychology8210–221
38.
JuddC H, 1902“Practice and its effects on the geometrical illusions”Psychological Review927–39
39.
KatoN, 1965“A fundamental study of rod-frame test”Japanese Psychological Research761–68
40.
LaughlinP RMcGlynnR P, 1967“Cooperative versus competitive concept attainment as a function of sex and stimulus display”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology7398–402
41.
MaccobyE EJacklinC N, 1974The Psychology of Sex Differences (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press)
42.
MassaroD WAndersonN H, 1971“Judgmental model of the Ebbinghaus illusion”Journal of Experimental Psychology89147–151
43.
McGuinnessD, 1976a“Away from a unisex psychology: Individual differences in visual sensory and perceptual processes”Perception5279–294
44.
McGuinnessD, 1976b“Sex differences in the organization of perception and cognition” in Exploring Sex Differences Eds LloydBArcherJ (New York: Academic Press)
45.
MorfN EKavanaughR DMcConvilleM, 1971“Intratest and sex differences on a portable rod and frame test”Perceptual and Motor Skills32727–733
46.
MountjoyP T, 1958“Effects of exposure time and inter-trial intervals upon decrement of the Müller — Lyer illusion”Journal of Experimental Psychology5697–102
47.
Müller-LyerF C, 1889“Optische Verteilungstäuschungen”Dubois — Reymond Archiv für Anatomie und Psychologie supplementary volume, 263–270
48.
PishkinVWolfgangARasmussenE, 1967“Age, sex, amount and type of memory information in concept learning”Journal of Experimental Psychology73121–124
49.
PollackR H, 1969“Some implications of genetic changes in perception” in Studies in Cognitive Development: Essays in Honour of Jean Piaget Eds ElkindDFlavellJ (New York: Oxford University Press)
50.
PresseyA W, 1967“A theory of the Müller — Lyer illusion”Perceptual and Motor Skills25569–572
51.
PresseyAW, 1971“An extension of assimilation theory to illusions of size, area, and direction”Perception and Psychophysics9172–176
52.
PresseyA WSweeneyO, 1970“Age changes in the Poggendorff illusion as measured by a method of production”Psychonomic Science1999–100
53.
PresseyA WWilsonA E, 1978“Another look at age changes in geometric illusions”Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society12333–336
54.
RestleF, 1971“Visual illusions” in Adaptation-Level Theory Ed. AppleyM H (New York: Academic Press) pp 55–69
55.
RestleFMerrymanC T, 1968“An adaptation-level theory account of a relative-size illusion”Psychonomic Science12229–230
56.
SchwartzD WCarpS A, 1967“Field dependence in a geriatric population”Perceptual and Motor Skills24495–504
57.
ShermanJ A, 1967“Problem of sex differences in space perception and aspects of intellectual functioning”Psychological Review74290–299
58.
SilvermanJBuchshaumMStierlinH, 1973“Sex difference in perceptual differentiation and stimulus intensity control”Journal of Personality and Social Psychology25309–318
59.
SjostromK PPollackR H, 1971“The effect of simulated receptor aging on two types of visual illusions”Psychonomic Science23147–148
60.
SpitzH HGoettleD RDiveleyS L, 1970“A comparison of retardates and normals on the Poggendorff and Oppel-Kundt illusions”Developmental Psychology348–65
61.
StevensonH WHaleG AKleinR EMillerL K, 1968“Interrelations and correlates in children's learning and problem solving”Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development33.
62.
TapleyS MBrydenM P, 1977“An investigation of sex differences in spatial ability: Mental rotation of three-dimensional objects”Canadian Journal of Psychology31122–130
63.
VaughtG M, 1965“The relationship of role identification and ego strength to sex differences in the rod-and-frame test”Journal of Personality33271–283
64.
WaberD P, 1976“Sex differences in cognition: A function of maturation rate?”Science192572–573
65.
WaberD P, 1977“Sex differences in mental abilities, hemispheric lateralization and rate of physical growth at adolescence”Developmental Psychology1329–38
66.
WardL MCorenS, 1976“The effect of optically-induced blur on the magnitude of the Müller-Lyer illusion”Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society7483–484
67.
WilsonJ RDeFriesJ CMcClearnG EVandenburgS GJohnsonR CRashadM N, 1975“Cognitive abilities: Use of family data as a control to assess sex and age differences in two ethnic groups”International Journal of Aging and Human Development6261–275.