Evolved navigation theory and the environmental vertical illusion

Evolved navigation theory and the descent illusion

“…These studies suggest that participants overestimate vertical distances relative to perceived object size. Here and elsewhere (Jackson & Cormack, 2006a, 2006b, 2006c, 2006d, we suggest that perceived size may determine overestimation only insofar as size approximates likely falling costs.…”

Attenuating the haptic horizontal—vertical curvature illusion

“…Presumably, perceptual accuracy is more likely to yield survival and has evolutionary value. However, Jackson and Cormack (2008) have recently claimed that there can be survival value in systematic illusions. On their view, sensitivity to the vertical in drawings could be derived in some manner from sensitivity to the gravitational vertical in large-scale space.…”

Virtual Distance Estimation in a CAVE

“…If effort is indeed linked to distance perception, it follows that vertical movement requires greater effort (climbing) than movement along the horizontal plane (walking), and thus vertical distances should be perceived as greater. A related idea, Evolved Navigation Theory, is that biases may relate to evolutionary goals of avoiding danger [8]. In either case, there is a link to Gibson's [6] concept of affordances, in which behavioral potential impacts perception.…”