The Effects of Nested Texture on a Landing-Judgment Task

Abstract

Nested texture can be described as smaller units embedded within larger units or forms within forms (Gibson, 1966). This is reflected in real scenes, e.g., as one moves toward a surface the eye resolves more detail. With the advent of high-fidelity simulators we can now generate a hierarchy of texture patterns that emerge as a function of altitude, but how this affects pilot performance is unclear. This study examined the effect of nested texture with four types of displays in a landing-judgment task. Subjects viewed a simulated landing approach to a runway which stopped in “mid air” and were asked to indicate where they would land if they continued on the same path. Results show that when texture was nested as a function of altitude, performance was not significantly better than when texture was constant throughout the trial. Display type affected performance with subjects perceiving their aimpoint further down the runway as complexity of the texture increased. The landing-judgment study should be followed up with an active-control task before recommendations for visual displays are made.