Perception of the visual horizontal in normal and labyrinthine defective subjects during prolonged rotation. NSAM-936.

Abstract : Five normal and nine labyrinthine defective men were studied in a Slow Rotation Room which produced a change in resultant force of 20 degrees on them. The men faced in the direction of rotation and at one minute intervals set a luminous line to the perceived horizontal in darkness for one hour. The results for the normal men confirmed an earlier study showing no systematic change in the perception of the visual horizontal after an initial lag effect. In contrast, the labyrinthine defective men showed a smaller, rapid, and then a gradual change in the perception of the visual horizontal throughout the one hour of constant rotation. At the end of one hour there was no significant difference between the two groups. These results are discussed in terms of a differential weighting of the synergistic information available to the two groups. (Author)