| Abstract: | When lights are mounted at the ends of the limbs of a tree and the surround darkened such that branches and trunk are not visible, viewers can nonetheless make systematic and precise judgments about the unseen structure of the tree through its motion. They seem to perform this task by picking up information about the relative arborization of the tree through the vector paths of the lights on the limbs. Theoretically speaking, the focus of this study is on the perception of second-order centers of moment; previous studies have focused on the perception of first-order centers. A second-order center in a tree-like structure is the location where limb meets trunk, and it is these that perceivers can infer from the dynamic display. The importance of this study is to demonstrate further that the study of centers of moment makes possible a detailed and differential study of event perception. |
