Four-Stroke Apparent Motion Can Effectively Induce Visual Self-Motion Perception: an Examination Using Expanding,...

Area of Science:

• Perception science
• Neuroscience
• Visual perception

Background:

• Self-motion perception, or vection, is crucial for spatial orientation.
• Traditional vection research often relies on visual stimuli with continuous displacement.
• The role of motion energy versus displacement in vection is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if visual motion without displacement can induce vection.
• To compare the efficacy of apparent motion and real motion in inducing vection.
• To explore the determinants of self-motion perception.

Main Methods:

• Utilized four-stroke apparent motions (4SAM) as visual inducers.
• 4SAM stimuli mimicked real motion's motion energy without displacement.
• Compared vection induced by 4SAM, real motion, and simultaneous presentation.

Main Results:

• 4SAM effectively induced horizontal, expanding, and rotational vection.
• Vection induced by 4SAM was weaker than that induced by real motion.
• When presented together, real motion predominantly determined self-motion perception.

Conclusions:

• Visual displacement is not essential for inducing vection.
• Luminance-defined motion energy and perceived motion are sufficient for vection.
• Real motion is a dominant factor in self-motion perception.