College students' performance on associated, corresponding tasks for horizontality

500 college biology students were asked to predict the axisymmetry (horizon tal-vertical position) of the water surface and a swimming goldfish in a ma sked, sealed container. Subjects were shown the fish submerged in the semif illed container before it was slipped into a terry cloth stocking. The rese archer then asked subjects to predict the position of the fish and the wate r surface as the sealed container was rotated to different angles. Many col lege students did not understand that liquids and submerged organisms remai n invariantly horizontal regardless of the rotation of the container.