Visual and postural eye-height information is flexibly coupled in the perception of virtual environments

We conducted two experiments to investigate how observers integrate postural and visual eye-height information when estimating the layout of interior space. In Experiment 1, we varied postural and visual eye-height information independently of each other in a virtual-reality setup. Observers estimated the width, depth, and height of simulated rooms. All dimensions were perceived as larger when the virtual visual eye-height corresponded to sitting on the floor as compared with standing upright. In contrast, the estimates remained widely unaffected by the observer's physical posture (likewise sitting vs. standing). In Experiment 2, we studied effects of the viewing condition (real vs. virtual rooms) and (in case of the virtual rooms) adaptation to congruence versus incongruence of visual and postural information. Both media yielded comparable results, which indicates that eye-height information is processed similarly in virtual and genuine reality. In addition, observers adapted to the (in)congruence of visual and postural cues. When we presented trials with congruent information first, both visual and postural cues had an effect on the estimates. However, when information was initially incongruent, observers mostly relied on visual cues, presumably relative to an internalized standard, and disregarded postural cues. Taken together, our results show that the integration of visual and postural eye-height information is situation-dependent. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).