Amodal completion and the perception of depth without binocular correspondence

Half-occlusions and illusory contours have recently been used to show that depth can be perceived in the absence of binocular correspondence and that there is more to stereopsis than solving the correspondence problem. In the present study we show a new way for depth to be assigned in the absence of binocular correspondence, namely amodal completion. Although an occluder removed all possibility of direct binocular matching, subjects consistently assigned the correct depth (convexity or concavity) to partially occluded 'folded cards' stimuli. Our results highlight the importance of more global, surface-based processes in stereopsis.