Abstract
Based on the general principles of Transcendental Psychology Methodology (TPM) and the introduced assumption (Mirakyan, 2004, Outlines of Transcendental Psychology, Book 2, Moscow, IP RAS) of the existence of size expansion or irradiation process at the initial stage of the form creation process (FCP) in human visual perception (HVP), it is possible to predict certain differences in HVP of rapidly dilating and contracting objects. In order to check this idea, we made an experimental investigation of anisotropic limits of HVP with short time (10–100 ms) presentations of size-changing objects - increased (A) and decreased (B) in size. High-contrast outline drawings of polygons were presented on a tachistoscope and the size was changed at 10–55 deg/s. Tasks included an object's type identification, movement tracking and size comparison. Objects were perceived with different clarity and line thickness depending on speed and other conditions. At longer presentation times, in the range of 40–10 deg/s, it is possible to perceive and to a certain extent track A and B movements without large visual differences but with predicted variance. It is impossible to see the start of A and B processes, while their other stages are well observed. In contrast, after further increases of size-changing speed up to 40–55 deg/s (i.e. coming out of the lower time boundary range of FCP functional limits), individual traces or “clouds” are perceived, so that A and B processes have asymmetric visual appearance: for A - it is still impossible to perceive the start of the process, while for B — the start is well perceived and it is not possible to observe the end of the process. These phenomena of the process of asymmetric HVP for dilating and contracting size-changing objects in different time limited conditions, are consistent with a qualitative model based on general TPM principles.