In psychology, "smaller" refers to the perception of an object as being physically smaller when it is located farther away, even though we know it is actually the same size as a closer object.
Related terms
Depth Perception: Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects in three dimensions and judge their distance from us.
Size Constancy: Size constancy is a perceptual phenomenon that allows us to perceive objects as maintaining their actual size despite changes in distance.
Visual Illusions: Visual illusions are misleading perceptions that occur when our brains misinterpret visual information, causing us to see things differently than they actually are.