Illusory size determines the perception of ambiguous apparent motion.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Visual Perception
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• The visual system interprets ambiguous sensory data to construct perceptions.
• Motion perception faces the correspondence problem: determining object trajectories.
• The level of visual processing (low vs. high) for correspondence resolution is debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether motion correspondence is solved at lower (retinal) or higher (abstracted) processing levels.
• To determine if perceived depth influences the resolution of the correspondence problem in apparent motion.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Ternus displays, which exhibit different motion perceptions based on correspondence resolution.
• Employed a Ponzo-like illusion to manipulate perceived depth and element separation in displays.
• Presented apparent motion stimuli at apparently different distances using pictorial depth cues.

Main Results:

• Perception of motion in Ternus displays was significantly affected by the apparent depth of the stimuli.
• This suggests that correspondence resolution is not solely based on retinal input but incorporates higher-level information.

Conclusions:

• Motion correspondence is resolved at higher levels of visual processing.
• These higher-level processes integrate information beyond direct retinal input, including depth cues, to solve ambiguity.