Cite as:
Soliunas A, Gurcinieneç O, Pleskaciauskas A, 2009, "Individual differences in symmetry detection" Perception 38 ECVP Abstract Supplement, page 170

Individual differences in symmetry detection

A Soliunas, O Gurcinieneç, A Pleskaciauskas

Humans are very sensitive to symmetry in visual patterns. However it is not known how the processing of symmetry is going on and what mechanisms make the detection of symmetry possible. Symmetry supposedly is a highly salient feature of the image. We performed investigation on symmetry detection presenting images with horizontal or vertical symmetry and asymmetrical images with different degree of symmetry. Thirty-two participants were researched. Our investigation showed that subjects fall in two groups. Majority of subjects detected asymmetry more accurately and faster than symmetry and they detected small deviation from ideal symmetry more precisely. However there were others who detected symmetry better than asymmetry. We hypothesize that while examining the figures subjects of those two groups unconsciously take different strategies. Possibly this difference should reflect itself in different image observation by subjects ie in different way of eye movements. In order to reveal this difference we perform similar investigation of symmetry detection including eye movements tracking.

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