THE EFFECT OF EDGE ORIENTATION AND MOVEMENT DIRECTION ON THE APPARENTMISALIGNMENT OF COLLINEAR BARS

Four experiments on apparent misalignment of oblique collinear bars ar e reported. The data from the first three experiments showed that the misalignment was slight but significant when no direction other than t hat of the bars themselves was delineated and about double when the ve rtical was delineated by movements of the adjustable bar. When the ver tical was delineated by both these movements and the ends of the bars (or by vertical parallel lines), the misalignment was more than six ti mes greater. Conversely, it was reduced when the bar ends delineated t he vertical and bar movements delineated the direction at right angles to the bars. The data from a fourth experiment showed that the inner pair of edges were closely involved in apparent misalignment and that the outer ends were not. The relationship between the misalignment eff ect with bars and the Poggendorff figure (oblique lines separated by p arallels), the delineation of direction by edges and movement, and the implications of these data for an explanation are discussed.