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The Influence Of Spatial Reference Frames On Imagined Object-And Vvewer Rotations, Maryjane Wraga, Sarah H. Creem, Dennis R. Proffitt

Psychology: Faculty Publications

The human visual system can represent an object's spatial structure with respect to multiple frames of reference. It can also utilize multiple reference frames to mentally transform such representations. Recent studies have shown that performance on some mental transformations is not equivalent: Imagined object rotations tend to be more difficult than imagined viewer rotations. We reviewed several related research domains to understand this discrepancy in terms of the different reference frames associated with each imagined movement. An examination of the mental rotation literature revealed that observers' difficulties in predicting an object's rotational outcome may stem from a general deficit with …