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Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Experimental Manipulation of Body Size to Estimate Morphological Scaling Relationships in Drosophila
Published on: October 1, 2011
Illusory shrinkage and growth: body-based rescaling affects the perception of size
Sally A Linkenauger1, Veronica Ramenzoni, Dennis R Proffitt
1Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, 102 Gilmer Hall, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA. sal3g@virginia.edu
Abstract:
The notion that apparent sizes are perceived relative to the size of one's body is supported through the discovery of a new visual illusion. When graspable objects are magnified by magnifying goggles, they appear to shrink back to near-normal size when one's hand (also magnified) is placed next to them. When objects are "minified" by minifying goggles, the opposite occurs. The rescaling effect also occurred when participants who were trained in tool use viewed the tool next to the objects. However, this change in apparent size does not occur when familiar objects or someone else's hand is placed next to the magnified or minified object. Presumably, objects' apparent sizes shift closer to their actual sizes when one's hand is viewed because objects' sizes relative to the hand are the same with or without the goggles. These findings highlight the role of body scaling in size perception.
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