Spatial Judgments from Different Vantage Points: A Different Perspective

Todorovic (2008) reported that there are systematic errors in the perception of 3-D space when viewing 2-D linear perspective drawings depending on the observer’s vantage point. Because Todorovic’s findings were restricted to the horizontal plane, the current study was designed to determine whether the magnitude of these errors would be similar in the vertical plane. Participants viewed a 2D image containing rows of columns aligned on parallel converging lines receding to a vanishing point. They were asked to judge where in the physical room the next column should be placed. The results support Todorovic (2008) in that systematic deviations in the spatial judgments depended on vantage point for both the horizontal and vertical planes. However, the pattern of deviation differed between the two planes. While judgments in both planes failed to compensate adequately for the vantage point shift, the vertical plane induced greater distortions of the stimulus image itself within each vantage point.