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      The Hong Kong Peak Tram Illusion

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      i-Perception
      SAGE Publications

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          Abstract

          Hong Kong Peak Tram Illusion is the perceived slant of buildings towards the peak away from the vertical while observers travel on the Hong Kong peak tram. We measured the perceived tilt of the buildings from true vertical (illusion size) using a rotary pitch while an identical pitch read the slope of the hill. The illusion was hypothesized to be jointly determined by at least four factors: (i) the reclining position of the observer, (ii) the frame of the tram window, (iii) the direction of motion, and (iv) additional reference cues from outside the window. Our results showed that the illusion: (i) was reduced by up to 20% when observers sat with a wedge on their back and up to 40% when they stood up. (ii) remained even when observers moved closer to the window to avoid the effect of the frame. (iii) was 20% larger when the tram was descending, as opposed to ascending. (iv) was less apparent during the day. The illusion appears to be due to integration of the above sensory information as it cannot be accounted for by each factor alone. The illusion provides a unique venue to study cross-modal sensory interaction in the nature setting.

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          Author and article information

          Contributors
          Journal
          Iperception
          Iperception
          IPE
          spipe
          i-Perception
          SAGE Publications (Sage UK: London, England )
          2041-6695
          1 May 2011
          May 2011
          : 2
          : 4
          : 295
          Affiliations
          Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong
          Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong
          Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong
          Graduate Institute of Neural and Cognitive Sciences, China Medical University, Taiwan, ROC
          Author notes
          Article
          10.1068_ic295
          10.1068/ic295
          5393721
          c06eef7f-b6a2-4ec9-8904-30102e26fa86
          © 2011 SAGE Publications Ltd. Manuscript content on this site is licensed under Creative Commons Licenses

          This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License ( http://www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work as published without adaptation or alteration, without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access page ( http://www.uk.sagepub.com/aboutus/openaccess.htm).

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          Neurosciences
          Neurosciences

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