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Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

Vision

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Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 18, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Visual experience facilitates allocentric spatial representation.

Achille Pasqualotto¹, Mary Jane Spiller², Ashok S Jansari²

¹Biological and Experimental Psychology Group, School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, UK.

Behavioural Brain Research

|September 11, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Visual experience is crucial for developing an allocentric reference frame, which allows object positioning independent of self-position. Congenitally blind individuals rely on egocentric frames, unlike those with prior or simulated vision.

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Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

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Last Updated: May 18, 2026

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Automated Visual Cognitive Tasks for Recording Neural Activity Using a Floor Projection Maze

Published on: February 20, 2014

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Spatial Cognition
Sensory Processing

Background:

Spatial cognition relies on representing object positions relative to oneself (egocentric) or independently (allocentric).
The role of visual experience in developing allocentric spatial representation remains unclear.
Multisensory brain areas are critical for spatial cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether visual experience is necessary for developing an allocentric spatial reference frame.
To compare spatial memory strategies in congenitally blind, late blind, and sighted individuals.

Main Methods:

Participants (congenitally blind, late blind, blindfolded sighted) haptically learned a room-sized object array.
Spatial memory was tested to determine the preferred reference frame (egocentric vs. allocentric).
The ability to represent the array's structure was crucial for allocentric frame use.

Main Results:

Blindfolded sighted and late blind participants preferentially used an allocentric reference frame.
Congenitally blind participants predominantly used an egocentric reference frame.
Preference for allocentric frames correlated with prior visual experience.

Conclusions:

Visual experience is necessary for developing a preference for object-based, allocentric spatial reference frames.
Visual experience influences the developmental trajectory of multisensory brain areas involved in spatial cognition.
This suggests a critical period for visual input in establishing mature spatial representation.