The Effects of Three-Dimensional Context on Shape Perception

Humans have a unique ability to perceive shape in different ways. Although we naturally estimate objective (physical) shape in our daily interactions with the world, we are also capable of estimating projective (retinal) shape, especially when attempting to accurately draw objects and scenes. In four experiments, we demonstrated robust effects of 3D context on shape perception. Using a binocular stereo paradigm, we presented rectangular surfaces of varying widths alone or embedded in a polyhedron. We investigated how context, judgment type, and angle affected width estimates. We found that the presence of even a small amount of 3D context aids objective judgments but hinders projective judgments, whereas a lack of context had the opposite effect. Context facilitated objective shape assessments by improving estimates of surface orientation. These results demonstrate that the typical presence of 3D context aids shape perception (shape constancy) while simultaneously making the projective judgments necessary for realistic drawing more difficult.