Estimating the orientation of dot patterns presented tachistoscopically

Abstract

Human ability for determining the orientation of dot patterns was studied under tachistoscopic presentation. Random dot configurations with a great difference between the line determined by the most distant dots in the configuration and the line for which the sum of the squared distances between each dot of the configuration and this line is minimal were used. These lines determine the "extension" and the "elongation" of the patterns (Yakimoff, 1981). The results have shown that the elongation of a dot pattern is the essential characteristic determining its perceived orientation.