Motion parallax as an independent cue for depth perception

Perception. 1979;8(2):125-34. doi: 10.1068/p080125.

Abstract

The perspective transformations of the retinal image, produced by either the movement of an observer or the movement of objects in the visual world, were found to produce a reliable, consistent, and unambiguous impression of relative depth in the absence of all other cues to depth and distance. The stimulus displays consisted of computer-generated random-dot patterns that could be transformed by each movement of the observer or the display oscilloscope to simulate the relative movement information produced by a three-dimensional surface. Using a stereoscopic matching task, the second experiment showed that the perceived depth from parallax transformations is in close agreement with the degree of relative image displacement, as well as producing a compelling impression of three-dimensionality not unlike that found with random-dot stereograms.

MeSH terms

  • Cues*
  • Depth Perception*
  • Humans
  • Illusions*
  • Motion Perception*
  • Optical Illusions*
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual