A Reverse Horizontal-Vertical Illusion? Auditory Length Perception and Its Relevance to Virtual Environments

The effect of a white noise stimulus on perceived length was investigated. In contrast to our expectations, stimulus lengths presented in the radial-vertical axis were underestimated relative to those presented in the horizontal axis. Surprisingly, differing stimulus lengths and exposure times had no influence on percentage error scores, suggesting that these factors play no role in what we are calling a 'reverse auditory horizontal-vertical illusion'. This article reviews the relevant literature and, in conjunction with the data we have collected, discusses the importance of stimulus frequency, a topic of importance to builders of virtual reality interfaces and environments.