Visual angle as a determinant of perceived interobject distance

Two new experiments and a reanalysis of Toye's (1986) data are used to examine the relationship between true distance and perceived distance in natural scenes. In the first experiment, 8 subjects estimated 78 interobject distances, formed by all pairs of 13 objects, while viewing the objects from a fixed position. The results showed that estimated distance is a linear function of the visual angle between objects as well as of the true distance. This relationship results in distances perpendicular to the line of sight being overestimated in relation to true distances and to distances parallel to the line of sight. These findings were confirmed by reanalysis of a comparable data set from Toye. Since changes in the visual angle can come about through changes in alignment with the line of sight, viewing distance, or interobject distance, Experiment 2 was designed to determine whether the visual angle effect was due to one of these, or whether it was an independent effect. In Experiment 2, 8 subjects estimated six interobject distances from 12 viewing positions. The results showed that visual angle predicted estimated distance independently of how the change in visual angle came about, suggesting that the greater the visual angle between objects, the more their separation is overestimated.