An experiment with 21 subjects has confirmed the findings of other investigators that previous posture affects subsequent posture—the phenomenon of postural persistence. There seems also to be a tendency for the arm to be judged horizontal when in fact above the horizon, no matter which posture has been previously adopted—a “constant upwards effect.” It has also been found that the direction of previous movement affects subsequent posture. After movement, an overshooting effect adds to a “constant upwards effect.”
Various explanations of the phenomenon are discussed, and persistence is considered as an anomaly of postural recognition.
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