A landmark effect in the perceived displacement of objects
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Updated: Jun 18, 2026

Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Published on: April 16, 2014
J Stephen Higgins1, Ranxiao Frances Wang
1Department of Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, IL 61820, USA. higgins3@uiuc.edu
Abstract:
Perceiving the displacement of an object after a visual distraction is an essential ability to interact with the world. Previous research has shown a bias to perceive the first object seen after a saccade as stable while the second one moving (landmark effect). The present study examines the generality and nature of this phenomenon. The landmark effect was observed in the absence of eye movements, when the two objects were obscured by a blank screen, a moving-pattern mask, or simply disappeared briefly before reappearing one after the other. The first reappearing object was not required to remain visible while the second object reappeared to induce the bias. The perceived direction of the displacement was mainly determined by the relative displacement of the two objects, suggesting that the landmark effect is primarily due to a landmark calibration mechanism.
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