Open AccessEffects of angularity of the figures with sharp and round corners on visual evoked potentials[Note 1. Some of the data in the present article were ...]
Author(s) -
Ito Motoo,
Sugata Tatsuya,
Kuwabara Hiroshi,
Wu Chiajong,
Kojima Kazufumi
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
japanese psychological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.392
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5884
pISSN - 0021-5368
DOI - 10.1111/1468-5884.00108
Subject(s) - equilateral triangle , visual evoked potentials , visual field , amplitude , psychology , optics , orientation (vector space) , physics , mathematics , geometry , neuroscience
Following a study in which equilateral triangles elicited larger visual evoked potentials (VEPs) than either squares or circles, we examined the effect of single‐line angular figures with a sharp or a round corner at angles of 45°, 90°, 135° or 180°. VEPs were recorded monopolarly at four locations on the midline of scalp for 10 subjects, while the figure was tachiscopically presented to the lower visual field. Subtracted waves were obtained between figure and control (blank) conditions. N1 (peak latency 135–142 ms) and P2 (235–237 ms) waves were identifiable. N1 amplitude tended to decrease as a function of angularity, irrespective of orientation (angle pointing up or down). The effect of the sharpness/roundness of the corner was much smaller than that of its angularity. These findings suggest that the greater VEP response with triangles than with squares and circles may be attributable to the acute angularity of triangles. Related cortical processes and VEP components are also discussed.