Open AccessEvaluating the accuracy of size perception on screen-based displays: Displayed objects appear smaller than real objects.
Author(s) -
Jeanine Stefanucci,
Sarah H. Creem-Regehr,
William B. Thompson,
David Lessard,
Michael N. Geuss
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of experimental psychology. applied
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.004
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1939-2192
pISSN - 1076-898X
DOI - 10.1037/xap0000051
Subject(s) - affordance , perception , computer science , observer (physics) , human–computer interaction , object (grammar) , visualization , computer graphics , depth perception , fidelity , computer vision , artificial intelligence , computer graphics (images) , psychology , telecommunications , physics , quantum mechanics , neuroscience
Accurate perception of the size of objects in computer-generated imagery is important for a growing number of applications that rely on absolute scale, such as medical visualization and architecture. Addressing this problem requires both the development of effective evaluation methods and an understanding of what visual information might contribute to differences between virtual displays and the real world. In the current study, we use 2 affordance judgments--perceived graspability of an object or reaching through an aperture--to compare size perception in high-fidelity graphical models presented on a large screen display to the real world. Our goals were to establish the use of perceived affordances within spaces near to the observer for evaluating computer graphics and to assess whether the graphical displays were perceived similarly to the real world. We varied the nature of the affordance task and whether or not the display enabled stereo presentation. We found that judgments of grasping and reaching through can be made effectively with screen-based displays. The affordance judgments revealed that sizes were perceived as smaller than in the real world. However, this difference was reduced when stereo viewing was enabled or when the virtual display was viewed before the real world.