When viewing an oval bowl from different perspectives, which type of constancy allows Tony to perceive it as oval?

When Tony views the oval bowl from different perspectives and continues to perceive it as oval, he is utilizing shape constancy. This perceptual phenomenon allows individuals to recognize an object's shape as constant even when it appears to change due to variations in angle or distance. Despite the oval shape appearing differently depending on the viewpoint, our brain maintains a stable perception based on previous experiences and knowledge of the object's typical appearance.

Shape constancy plays a crucial role in everyday visual perception. For instance, a circle may look elliptical when viewed from an angle, but our understanding of its typical form helps us perceive it as still being a circle. This ability helps us navigate and understand our environment more effectively.

The other types of constancy mentioned, such as brightness, textural, and size, serve different perceptual functions not directly applicable to the perception of shape under changing perspectives. Brightness constancy deals with our consistent perception of an object's brightness regardless of lighting conditions, textural constancy relates to how we perceive texture under different viewing situations, and size constancy involves perceiving an object as the same size despite variations in distance. In this specific question, however, it is shape constancy that enables Tony to perceive the bowl's consistent oval shape regardless of his viewpoint.