Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The golf-ball illusion: evidence for top-down processing in weight perception

R R Ellis1, S J Lederman

  • 1Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. ellisr@pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca

Perception
|August 26, 1998
PubMed
Summary

Knowledge and experience significantly influence weight perception, creating illusions. Golfers perceived practice balls as heavier than real ones, demonstrating a top-down effect in weight illusions.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Figure/Ground Segmentation via a Haptic Glance: Attributing Initial Finger Contacts to Objects or Their Supporting Surfaces.

IEEE transactions on haptics·2016
Same author

Tactile and Haptic Illusions.

IEEE transactions on haptics·2016
Same author

Haptic Classification of Facial Identity in 2D Displays: Configural versus Feature-Based Processing.

IEEE transactions on haptics·2010
Same author

Haptic perception: a tutorial.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2009
Same author

Haptic Processing of Facial Expressions of Emotion in 2D Raised-Line Drawings.

IEEE transactions on haptics·2008
Same author

Haptic recognition of static and dynamic expressions of emotion in the live face.

Psychological science·2007

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Cognitive Science
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Traditional theories of weight illusions focus on sensory cues or expectations from past experiences.
  • Current models predominantly favor sensory-based explanations for weight illusions.
  • This study investigates the role of prior knowledge in generating weight illusions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test whether specific knowledge (golfers' expectations) can create a weight illusion.
  • To determine if sensory cues alone can explain weight illusions.
  • To explore the top-down influence of experience on weight perception.

Main Methods:

  • Participants included golfers (with expected weight differences) and non-golfers (without expected differences).
  • Participants lifted and judged the relative weights of practice and real golf balls.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Correlation analysis was performed between expected weight discrepancy and reported illusion strength.

    • Main Results:

    • Golfers consistently judged practice balls as heavier than real balls of identical weight.
    • Non-golfers perceived no significant weight difference between the two types of balls.
    • A stronger expectation of weight discrepancy among golfers correlated with a stronger illusion.

    Conclusions:

    • The findings challenge purely sensory-based models of weight illusions.
    • Knowledge and experience play a crucial top-down role in weight perception.
    • Weight illusions can be driven by cognitive expectations rather than solely by sensory input.