The Visual Perception Coordinate System Uses Axes Defined by the Earth, Trunk, and Vision

Abstract

Eight young adults adjusted a line located on one side of a computer display parallel to internally specified Earth-fixed vertical (display in frontal plane), to the horizontal trunk-fixed anterior – posterior axis (display in horizontal plane), and to an oblique line (display in horizontal and vertical planes). All tasks were completed in a dark room with the head and trunk in both a standard erect posture and varied postures. Errors were lowest when setting the line to internally specified vertical in the frontal plane and to an oblique line in the horizontal plane when head and trunk orientations were varied. Constant errors for setting one line parallel to a second line were in opposite directions when the second line was located on the left versus right side of the display, but did not differ in direction when setting the line parallel to internally specified axes. Also, the oblique effect was preserved when the head and trunk were tilted to various orientations, suggesting that it results from integration of an internally specified gravitational reference with visual input. We conclude that the visual perceptual coordinate system uses internally specified vertical and, when available, a visually specified horizontal reference axis to define object orientation.