Area of depictions versus insufficient transformations in volume judgments

Two hypotheses about judgments of apparent volume of depicted objects were compared. One hypothesis was that the area of the depiction influences judgments. The alternative was that volume judgments are based on an incomplete transformation from the two-dimensional stimulus to the object "implied" by the drawing. 38 college undergraduates ranked 24 drawings of rectangular boxes according to apparent volume. Results strongly supported the incomplete transformation hypothesis.