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Creating Virtual-hand and Virtual-face Illusions to Investigate Self-representation
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The number-weight illusion.

Wolf Schwarz1, Dennis Reike2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, PO Box 60 15 53, 14415, Potsdam, Germany. wschwarz@uni-potsdam.de.

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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Smaller numbers on objects may lead people to perceive them as heavier, even when they are the same size and weight. This "number-weight illusion" extends the known size-weight and number-size effects.

Keywords:
Number–size congruency effectNumerical distance effectPaired comparisonReafference principleSize–weight illusion

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Perception Science
  • Psychophysics

Background:

  • The size-weight illusion demonstrates that smaller objects are perceived as heavier than larger objects of equal physical weight.
  • The number-size congruency effect shows a strong association between numerical magnitude and physical size.
  • These established illusions suggest a potential interaction between numerical information and weight perception.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether numbered objects of equal size and weight are perceived as heavier when they carry smaller numbers.
  • To test the hypothesis of a novel 'number-weight illusion' by combining the size-weight and number-size effects.
  • To explore the influence of numerical magnitude on tactile weight judgments.

Main Methods:

  • Two experiments were conducted using numbered balls (1 to 9).
  • Participants compared the weights of balls that were identical in physical weight and size.
  • The key variable manipulated was the numerical label (1-9) on each ball.

Main Results:

  • Results indicate that balls with smaller numbers were judged as heavier.
  • The findings largely support the existence of a 'number-weight illusion'.
  • This illusion appears to occur even when controlling for physical size and weight.

Conclusions:

  • Numerical magnitude can influence perceived weight, independent of physical properties.
  • The number-weight illusion provides new insights into cross-modal correspondences in perception.
  • This research highlights the complex interplay between numerical cognition and sensory experiences.