INFLUENCES OF ACADEMIC TRAINING AND NONACADEMIC EXPERIENCE ON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO THE HORIZONTAL VERTICAL ILLUSION

Subjects with varying levels of academic training and nonacademic expe rience adjusted the vertical lines of L-shaped and inverted-T figures and produced estimates of 1-in. lines in the vertical and horizontal p lanes. The adjustments and productions of the subjects who were experi enced in working with lines of varying sizes and orientations, indepen dent of education, were more accurate than those of subjects lacking s uch experience. Specialized academic training and hands-on experience were found to compensate for the robust tendency to overestimate the l ength of vertical lines.