Subjective and Objective Symmetry in Perception of Form

Abstract

A new quantitative measure of the physical symmetry of 2-dimensional shapes is proposed which relates it to the proportion of translational and rotational (TR) overlap between a figure and its mirror image. Category ratings of the apparent vertical symmetry of distorted diamond figures correlate highly with this measure while it is also an important contributor in the prediction of the apparent symmetry and geometricity of random polygons.