20.11: Stereograms
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Learning Objectives
- Study to determine the effects of information for an embedded image given ahead of time to a person
Research conducted by
Frisby, J. P. and Clatworthy, J.L.
Case study prepared by
Emily Zitek from DASL story contributed by Michael Friendly
Overview
The rectangles below appear to be composed of random dots. However, if the images are viewed with a stereo viewer, the separate images will fuse and reveal an embedded \(3D\) figure. In this example, fusing the images of these random dot stereograms will reveal a diamond. (Another way for you to fuse the images is to fixate on a point in between them and defocus your eyes. This technique takes practice, but you can try it out with the links below.)
This experiment sought to determine whether giving someone information about the embedded image can help speed up how long it takes to view this image. Seventy-eight participants were given no information, verbal information, and/or visual information (a drawing of the object) about what the embedded image should look like before attempting to fuse the images and actually view the 3D design.
Questions to Answer
Does giving someone information about an embedded image in a stereogram affect the amount of time it takes to see this image? More specifically, does the amount of time it takes to fuse the image in a stereogram differ when the person is given both verbal and visual information about what the image should look like as opposed to when the person is only given verbal information or no information at all?
Descriptions of Variables
Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Description of Variables
| Variable | Description |
| Time |
Time to produce a fused image of the random dot stereogram |
| Group |
Treatment group divided by type of information received:
1 = no information or only verbal information 2 = both verbal and visual information |
Data Files
Fusion.xls
Links
View random dot stereograms. Information about random dot stereograms
References
- Frisby, J. P. & Clatworthy, J.L., (1975) Learning to see complex random-dot stereograms, Perception, 4, 173-178.