Illusory size determines the perception of ambiguous apparent motion

AbstractThe visual system constructs perceptions based on ambiguous information. For motion perception, the correspondence problem arises, i.e., the question of which object went where. We asked at which level of processing correspondence is solved – lower levels based on information that is directly available in the retinal input or higher levels based on information that has been abstracted beyond the input directly available at the retina? We used a Ponzo-like illusion to manipulate the perceived size and separations of elements in an ambiguous apparent motion display. Specifically, we presented Ternus displays – for which the type of motion that is perceived depends on how correspondence is resolved – at apparently different distances from the viewer using pictorial depth cues. We found that the perception of motion depended on the apparent depth of the displays, indicating that correspondence processes utilize information that is produced at higher-level processes.

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The Effect of Two-Dimensional and Three-Dimensional Distance on Apparent Motion

Perception ◽

10.1068/p120305 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 12 (3) ◽

pp. 305-312 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Kathleen Mutch ◽

Isabel M Smith ◽

Albert Yonas

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Apparent Motion ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Spatial Separation ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Correspondence Problem ◽

Two Dimensional ◽

Motion Display ◽

Specific Concern ◽

Actual Depth

The problem of how the visual system matches corresponding inputs from one instant to the next to produce the perception of motion has been experimentally examined. The specific concern was whether this correspondence problem is solved prior to the interpretation of three-dimensional distance. Observers judged the degree of apparent motion between pairs of lights in a conflicting motion display. Spatial separation of the lights was varied in two and three dimensions in order to assess whether retinal distance, actual depth, or some combination of these provided critical information for correspondence. The results support Ullman's contention that only two-dimensional (retinal) distances are used in establishing correspondence in motion perception.

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Local-Level and Global-Level Form Characteristics in Apparent-Motion Correspondence

Perception ◽

10.1068/p241233 ◽

1995 ◽

Vol 24 (11) ◽

pp. 1233-1245 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Terry Palmer ◽

Ovid J L Tzeng ◽

Sheng He

Keyword(s):

Apparent Motion ◽

Motion Detection ◽

Local Level ◽

The Other ◽

Correspondence Problem ◽

Global Level ◽

Global Precedence ◽

Detection Mechanism ◽

Motion Display ◽

Motion Correspondence

This study addressed the ‘correspondence’ problem of apparent-motion (AM) perception in which parts of a scene must be matched with counterparts separated in time and space. Given evidence that AM correspondence can be mediated by two distinct processes—one based on a low-level motion-detection mechanism (the Reichardt process), the other involving the tracking of objects by visual attention (the attention-based process)—the present study explored how these processes interact in the perception of apparent motion between hierarchically structured figures. In three experiments, hierarchical figures were presented in a competition motion display so that, across frames, figures were identical at either the local or the global level. In experiment 1 it was shown that AM occurred between locally identical figures. Furthermore, with the Reichardt AM component eliminated in experiments 3 and 4, no preference was obtained for either level. While evidence from previous studies suggests that form extraction for hierarchically structured figures proceeds from the global to the local level, the present results indicate the irrelevance of such a global precedence in AM correspondence. In addition, it is suggested that Reichardt AM correspondence between local elements constrains attention-based AM correspondence between global figures so that both components move in the same direction. It is argued that this constraining process represents an elegant means of achieving AM correspondence between objects undergoing complex transformations.

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The correspondence problem in apparent motion perception and aging

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/11.11.467 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 467-467 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

E. Roudaia ◽

K. S. Pilz ◽

A. B. Sekuler ◽

P. J. Bennett

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Apparent Motion ◽

Correspondence Problem

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Reduction of Flicker in Four-Stroke Motion of Color Images

i-Perception ◽

10.1177/2041669517750400 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 204166951775040

Author(s):

Takahiro Kawabe ◽

Shin’ya Nishida

Keyword(s):

Motion Perception ◽

Apparent Motion ◽

Visual Illusion ◽

Video Clip ◽

Color Images ◽

Video Frames ◽

Motion Display ◽

High Pass ◽

Partial Reversal

When two sequential video frames extracted from a single video clip are followed by the negative of the two frames, a viewer often experiences a visual illusion whereby a scene in the frames continuously moves in a single direction (four-stroke apparent motion). To create a four-stroke apparent motion display, the image intensities of the whole of the second pair of images are reversed. However, this intensity reversal creates a strong impression of flicker that can be undesirable for comfortable viewing. This study reports that four-stroke apparent motion can be induced by only reversing the luminance intensities in those spatial areas which contain motion signals in high-pass filtered images. This use of only a partial reversal of image intensities greatly reduces the apparent flicker in the display while retaining motion perception.

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