Abstract
Studying the psychophysical functions that physical length of lines to the perceived length is critical for the understanding of the perception of displays like maps and graphs. Previous research has examined straight lines and the circumference of a circle. The present research investigated the judgment of the length of both straight and curved lines, varying from slight to moderately high degrees of curvature and varying in length. In two experiments, the psychophysical functions relating perceived length to the physical length of a line was found to be similar for straight and curved lines. The Stevens' Law exponent for the straight and curved lines tended to be close to 1.0 for all lines, independent of curvature. The paper discusses spatial judgments, with a focus on the differences in the psychophysical functions or the various types of lines.
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