Errors in Estimating the Orientation of Dot Patterns

The error in estimating the orientation of a dot pattern was measured as the difference between the orientation of the least-squared-distances line (LS-line) of the pattern and the orientation of a line adjusted by the subject to match the perceived orientation of the pattern. Analysis of the mean errors (averaged over ten subjects) obtained for one hundred patterns confirmed that the orientation of the LS-line represents the orientation of elongated dot-patterns. It is shown that estimated orientation was systematically biased towards the nearest 45° oblique meridian. This bias points to the importance of the ±45° directions as natural norms for left- and right-side tilt in the frontoparallel plane.