Cite as:
Heller M A, Brackett D D, Wilson K, Yoneyama K, Boyer A, Steffen H, 2002, "The haptic Müller-Lyer illusion in sighted and blind people" Perception 31(10) 1263 – 1274
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The haptic Müller-Lyer illusion in sighted and blind people

Morton A Heller, Deneen D Brackett, Kathy Wilson, Keiko Yoneyama, Amanda Boyer, Heather Steffen

Received 10 January 2002, in revised form 3 July 2002, published online 16 August 2002

Abstract. We examined the effect of visual experience on the haptic Müller-Lyer illusion. Subjects made size estimates of raised lines by using a sliding haptic ruler. Independent groups of blindfolded-sighted, late-blind, congenitally blind, and low-vision subjects judged the sizes of wings-in and wings-out stimuli, plain lines, and lines with short vertical ends. An illusion was found, since the wings-in stimuli were judged as shorter than the wings-out patterns and all of the other stimuli. Subjects generally underestimated the lengths of lines. In a second experiment we found a nonsignificant difference between length judgments of raised lines as opposed to smooth wooden dowels. The strength of the haptic illusion depends upon the angles of the wings, with a much stronger illusion for more acute angles. The effect of visual status was nonsignificant, suggesting that spatial distortion in the haptic Müller-Lyer illusion does not depend upon visual imagery or visual experience.

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