Which phenomenon involves interpreting an object as having the same actual size, regardless of distance?

The phenomenon that involves interpreting an object as having the same actual size, regardless of distance, is known as size constancy. Size constancy is a crucial aspect of visual perception; it allows individuals to understand that an object retains its size despite changes in its distance from the observer. For instance, a car that is far away may appear smaller, but our perception recognizes it as the same size as a nearby car.

This phenomenon relies on contextual information and previous experience with the object, helping the brain to maintain a stable perception even when visual cues suggest that the object's size is changing. It is an essential feature of human perception that allows for consistent interaction with the environment, enabling people to navigate spaces and interact with objects effectively, despite the variability in their visual representations based on distance.

In contrast, distance perception refers to the ability to perceive how far away an object is, relative size compares the size of different objects to one another. Depth perception involves interpreting visual cues to determine distance and three-dimensional structure, but none of these specifically address the interpretation of an object's actual size across varying distances in the same way that size constancy does.