Shape discriminations of three-dimensional objects depend on the number and location of bends.

In three experiments, subjects made shape discriminations of three-dimensional objects differing in orientation, number of bends, and location of bends (e.g., the central arm vs. a minor subarm). In general of bends, but only after a certain threshold of bends in the objects had been reached (Experiment 1). This effect was not due to the subjects' having to search for matching ends of the objects (Experiment 2). In contrast, rotation rates were influenced by the location of the bends, but not by the number of bends per se (Experiment 3). The results support a representational scheme that is hierarchical, but not necessarily one in which the principal axis of an object is paramount.