THE DEPENDENCE OF 2-DIMENSIONAL SHAPE PERCEPTION ON ORIENTATION

While it is true that in daily life we generally recognize objects regardless of their orientation, previous experiments involving novel shapes indicate a decline in recognition when these are tested in altered orientation. Here the question is raised of whether there is a component of shape perception based purely on the geometry of an object, independent of orientation. By means of two tests designed to eliminate awareness of change of orientation, one more stringent than used heretofore, it was found that shape perception is dependent on orientation. The apparent contradiction between these findings and the apparent orientation-free character of recognition in daily life is discussed.