Automobile-Speed Estimation Using Movie-film Simulation

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Abstract
A silent movie film made by shooting through the windscreen of a car driven at different constant speeds was shown in an auditorium, and subjects asked to estimate the speed of the car. Of the 70 subjects who participated, 35 sat at the front and the remainder at the back. The speed estimates of those seated at the back were, on average, some 11 per cent higher than those at the front. An explanation for this effect is given. It is shown that those at the correct perspective distance from the screen ( in the present case, those at the front) will receive an impression of speed which most closely resembles the actual speed of the car. The speed estimates from the front of the auditorium most closely resembled those observed in an earlier field experiment when the subjects' hearing was diminished. It is concluded that the movie technique provides a good simulation of the task in the field experiment if the following two qualifications are made. First, the movie must be viewed from close to the correct perspective distance. Second, a silent movie corresponds to the real situation in which the observer is prevented from hearing.

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