Abstract
Maps consist of lines converging onto line segments. These converging lines resemble elements of the Mueller-Lyer illusion (MLEs) which cause map readers to overestimate the length of a road segment (if the lines go outward from the end of the segment) or underestimate the length (if the lines go inward from the end of the segment) (Gillan, Schmidt, & Hanowski, 1996). The present experiment investigates whether a similar effect occurs when place names converge on a road segment. Subjects estimated road segments framed by outward-going MLEs made up of place names to be significantly longer than road segments framed by inward-going MLEs. The type of characters in the place names (English characters vs. symbols) and requiring subjects to locate the road segment by the names in the MLE had no effect on the degree of misestimation induced. The implications of these findings for a variety of displays are discussed.
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