Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space

Abstract

The texture of an object’s surface influences its perceived spatial extent. For example, Hermann von Helmholtz reported that a square patch with black and white stripes appears elongated perpendicular to the stripes’ orientation. This time-honoured finding stands in contrast with more recent recommendations by interior-design experts who suggest that stripe wall patterns make rooms appear elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes’ orientation. In a series of four experiments, we presented stripe wall patterns and varied the orientation of the stripes (horizontal vs. vertical) and their density (number of stripes per degree of visual angle). Subjects estimated the width and height of stereoscopically presented interior spaces. Stripe patterns with higher densities made rooms appear both wider and higher than did stripe patterns with lower densities or plain walls. In contrast to both the predictions from the Helmholtz-square and the design guidelines, this effect was only weakly modulated by pattern orientation, in the sense that rooms appeared elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes’ orientation. We conclude that object-based texture effects cannot be generalised to interior space perception. For a room’s perceived spatial extent, pattern density is more important than pattern orientation.

Autoren

Christoph von Castell
Heiko Hecht
Daniel Oberfeld

DOI

10.1177/1747021819876637

eISSN

1747-0226

ISSN

1747-0218

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

1

Zeitschrift

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

Sprache

en

Online publication date

2019

Paginierung

29 - 54

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Herausgeber

SAGE Publications

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1747021819876637

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Titel

Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

73

Datenquelle: Crossref

Abstract

The texture of an object's surface influences its perceived spatial extent. For example, Hermann von Helmholtz reported that a square patch with black and white stripes appears elongated perpendicular to the stripes' orientation. This time-honoured finding stands in contrast with more recent recommendations by interior-design experts who suggest that stripe wall patterns make rooms appear elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes' orientation. In a series of four experiments, we presented stripe wall patterns and varied the orientation of the stripes (horizontal vs. vertical) and their density (number of stripes per degree of visual angle). Subjects estimated the width and height of stereoscopically presented interior spaces. Stripe patterns with higher densities made rooms appear both wider and higher than did stripe patterns with lower densities or plain walls. In contrast to both the predictions from the Helmholtz-square and the design guidelines, this effect was only weakly modulated by pattern orientation, in the sense that rooms appeared elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes' orientation. We conclude that object-based texture effects cannot be generalised to interior space perception. For a room's perceived spatial extent, pattern density is more important than pattern orientation.

Addresses

Psychologisches Institut, Abteilung Allgemeine Experimentelle Psychologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany.

Autoren

Christoph von Castell
Heiko Hecht
Daniel Oberfeld

DOI

10.1177/1747021819876637

eISSN

1747-0226

Externe Identifier

PubMed Identifier: 31476965

Funding acknowledgements

deutsche forschungsgemeinschaft: HE 2122/10-2 (Heiko Hecht), OB 346/5-2 (Daniel Oberfeld)

Open access

false

ISSN

1747-0218

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

1

Zeitschrift

Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006)

Schlüsselwörter

Humans
Photic Stimulation
Space Perception
Interior Design and Furnishings
Adolescent
Adult
Middle Aged
Female
Male
Young Adult
Orientation, Spatial

Sprache

eng

Medium

Print-Electronic

Online publication date

2019

Paginierung

29 - 54

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Datum der Datenerfassung

2019

Titel

Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space.

Sub types

Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

73

Datenquelle: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract

The texture of an object's surface influences its perceived spatial extent. For example, Hermann von Helmholtz reported that a square patch with black and white stripes appears elongated perpendicular to the stripes' orientation. This time-honoured finding stands in contrast with more recent recommendations by interior-design experts who suggest that stripe wall patterns make rooms appear elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes' orientation. In a series of four experiments, we presented stripe wall patterns and varied the orientation of the stripes (horizontal vs. vertical) and their density (number of stripes per degree of visual angle). Subjects estimated the width and height of stereoscopically presented interior spaces. Stripe patterns with higher densities made rooms appear both wider and higher than did stripe patterns with lower densities or plain walls. In contrast to both the predictions from the Helmholtz-square and the design guidelines, this effect was only weakly modulated by pattern orientation, in the sense that rooms appeared elongated in the direction parallel to the stripes' orientation. We conclude that object-based texture effects cannot be generalised to interior space perception. For a room's perceived spatial extent, pattern density is more important than pattern orientation.

Autoren

Christoph von Castell
Heiko Hecht
Daniel Oberfeld

Autoren-URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31476965

DOI

10.1177/1747021819876637

eISSN

1747-0226

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

1

Zeitschrift

Q J Exp Psychol (Hove)

Schlüsselwörter

Perceived spatial extent
interior design
interior space perception
stripe wall pattern
Adolescent
Adult
Female
Humans
Interior Design and Furnishings
Male
Middle Aged
Orientation, Spatial
Photic Stimulation
Space Perception
Young Adult

Sprache

eng

Country

England

Paginierung

29 - 54

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde

2020

Titel

Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space.

Sub types

Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

73

Datenquelle: PubMed

Wall patterns influence the perception of interior space

Werkzeuge