Issues in the research of visual space perception: The geometry of visual space, relationship between the spatial descriptors, and the metric vs. ordinal data

In the article, the authors summarize the main results of their research activity in the field of visual space perception. In the particular experimental projects, they focused on the relationship between the partial spatial descriptors in the process of forming the complex three-dimensional percept. Also, the geometry of the optical space was dealt in with respect to the Euclidean geometry of the physical space. The principle finding concerns the notion of anisotropic curvature of visual space. Finally, the question of plausibility of experiments requiring the perceptual judgements as expressed in metrical units (Euclidean tasks) was raised. The reason for this approach being used is to gather data directly comparable with the physical properties of space. On the other hand, in Euclidean tasks, the ecological validity of knowledge gained is inevitably limited and the danger of intrusion of nonperceptual factors is pervasive