A Mueller-Lyer Illusion Induced by Selective Attention

Yehoshua Tsal*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

29 Scopus citations

Abstract

Subjects estimated the length of a horizontal line which was flanked by oblique angles pointing both inside and outside (this figure would be created by superimposing the wings-in and wings-out figures of the Mueller-Lyer illusion). Ignoring the outside wings resulted in an underestimation of the line length of comparable magnitude to that obtained for the wings-in Mueller-Lyer figure. Ignoring the inside wings caused an overestimation of the line length only when the inner and outer wings were of non-corresponding orientations. These results emphasize the role of cognitive factors in the Mueller-Lyer illusion.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)319-333
Number of pages15
JournalQuarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section A: Human Experimental Psychology
Volume36
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - May 1984
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Brown University

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