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Estimating Average Body Size of Sets of Bodies

Research output: Contribution to conference - Without ISBN/ISSN Abstractpeer-review

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Publication date27/07/2019
Number of pages1
Pages3371
<mark>Original language</mark>English
Event41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society - Palais des Congrès de Montréal , Montreal, Canada
Duration: 24/07/201927/07/2019
Conference number: 41st
https://cognitivesciencesociety.org/cogsci-2019/

Conference

Conference41st Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society
Abbreviated titleCOGSCI '19
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityMontreal
Period24/07/1927/07/19
Internet address

Abstract

In two behavioral experiments, we demonstrated that human observers can extract average body size from a group of individuals. In Experiment 1, we asked 38 participants to estimate the average body size from a group of 5, 10 or 15 bodies that were presented in various angles of view (Profile, Three-Quarter, Frontal, and Mixed). Participants were able to extract the average body size, but they systematically overestimated thinner body groups, and underestimated larger body groups. Biases were generally reduced for smaller sets sizes and when bodies were shown in profile view, but the trend was reversed for sets with larger bodies. In Experiment 2, we tested 37 participants and showed that the accuracy of their estimates was modulated by presentation time: Accuracy was poorest when groups were presented for 1s, but significantly improved for 3s and 5s presentations. Implications of these finding are discussed.