Binocular and monocular depth cues in online feedback control of 3D pointing movement

Previous work has shown that humans continuously use visual feedback of the hand to control goal-directed movements online. In most studies, visual error signals were predominantly in the image plane and, thus, were available in an observer's retinal image. We investigate how humans use visual feedback about finger depth provided by binocular and monocular depth cues to control pointing movements. When binocularly viewing a scene in which the hand movement was made in free space, subjects were about 60 ms slower in responding to perturbations in depth than in the image plane. When monocularly viewing a scene designed to maximize the available monocular cues to finger depth (motion, changing size, and cast shadows), subjects showed no response to perturbations in depth. Thus, binocular cues from the finger are critical to effective online control of hand movements in depth. An optimal feedback controller that takes into account the low peripheral stereoacuity and inherent ambiguity in cast shadows can explain the difference in response time in the binocular conditions and lack of response in monocular conditions.