Autokinetic Movement as a Function of the Amount of Information in a Target Shape

Abstract

Amount of information was manipulated in four different target shapes; an additional target shape, a ring, was used as a control stimulus. Two levels of information were established, high and low. Information increased by simply adding detail and adding elements that suggested altered meaning. It was predicted that (1) highly informative targets would show some increase in autokinetic movement in the direction suggested by the target shape compared to the low-information form of the target and (2) that the magnitude of increase would be greater for “elements that altered meaning” than for “simple addition of detail.” The first hypothesis was supported but the second was not.