On the perception of symmetrical and repeated patterns. Corballis, M. C. & Roldan, C. E. Percept Psychophys, 16(1):136–142, Psychonomic Society, 1974.
abstract   bibtex   
4 experiments with a total of 116 university students investigated rapid perceptual judgments about tachistoscopically presented patterns that were either symmetrical about or repeated across a vertical axis. The same patterns were presented under 2 different instructional conditions: some Ss were to judge the 2 halves of each pattern "same" or "mirror"; others were to judge each pattern as a whole "symmetrical" or "asymmetrical." With dot patterns, reaction times (RTs) were faster for symmetrical than for repeated patterns when the 2 halves were close together, but not when they were separated, regardless of instructions. With simpler patterns made up of arrowheads and C-shapes, however, same RTs were faster than mirror, but asymmetrical RTs were marginally slower than symmetrical, regardless of spatial separation. The advantage of same over mirror did not seem to be simply a labeling effect. Results suggest that left-right symmetry was perceptually more salient than left-right repetition when the patterns were perceived holistically. By contrast, distinct patterns could be matched more rapidly when they were the same than when they were left-right mirror images. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)
@Article{Corballis1974,
  author    = {Corballis, Michael C. and Roldan, Carlos E.},
  journal   = {Percept Psychophys},
  title     = {On the perception of symmetrical and repeated patterns.},
  year      = {1974},
  issn      = {0031-5117, Print},
  number    = {1},
  pages     = {136--142},
  volume    = {16},
  abstract  = {4 experiments with a total of 116 university students investigated
	rapid perceptual judgments about tachistoscopically presented patterns
	that were either symmetrical about or repeated across a vertical
	axis. The same patterns were presented under 2 different instructional
	conditions: some Ss were to judge the 2 halves of each pattern "same"
	or "mirror"; others were to judge each pattern as a whole "symmetrical"
	or "asymmetrical." With dot patterns, reaction times (RTs) were faster
	for symmetrical than for repeated patterns when the 2 halves were
	close together, but not when they were separated, regardless of instructions.
	With simpler patterns made up of arrowheads and C-shapes, however,
	same RTs were faster than mirror, but asymmetrical RTs were marginally
	slower than symmetrical, regardless of spatial separation. The advantage
	of same over mirror did not seem to be simply a labeling effect.
	Results suggest that left-right symmetry was perceptually more salient
	than left-right repetition when the patterns were perceived holistically.
	By contrast, distinct patterns could be matched more rapidly when
	they were the same than when they were left-right mirror images.
	(PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)},
  keywords  = {symmetrical & repeated patterns, rapid perceptual judgment, college students, Pattern Discrimination, Reaction Time, Spatial Perception, Visual Discrimination},
  publisher = {Psychonomic Society},
}

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