Effects of movement in the background field on long-range apparent motion

Two experiments are reported using time-till-breakdown as a measure of apparent motion (AM) in untrained subjects. In Experiment 1 centrally viewed dynamic random dot stereograms and non-disparate stimuli in dynamic random dot fields yielded higher optimal frequencies than did a standard binocular condition. In Experiment 2 a higher optimal frequency was observed for disparate dynamic random dot stimuli compared with both standard binocular and non disparate stimuli presented on a static random dot field. Interaction between short- and long-range AM processes is considered in the interpretation of the findings.