What is the term for the perception of an object maintaining its known shape despite changes in observer perspective?

The term that describes the perception of an object maintaining its known shape despite changes in the observer's perspective is shape constancy. This phenomenon occurs when our brains recognize the shape of an object as constant, even when it appears distorted due to changes in angle or distance from which we view it. For example, a door that is partially open may look like a trapezoid from one angle, but we still perceive it as the rectangular shape we know it to be.

Shape constancy is an important aspect of visual perception, enabling us to identify and interact with objects in our environment consistently, regardless of variations in perspective. This cognitive ability relies on contextual information and prior knowledge about the shape of objects, allowing for a stable understanding of the world around us.

In contrast, size constancy refers to our perception of an object's size remaining constant despite changes in distance from the observer, color constancy involves perceiving an object’s color as constant under varying lighting conditions, and motion parallax is the perceived difference in speed or direction of objects moving relative to the observer as they change position.