Motion integration across differing image features

To interpret the projected image of a moving object, the visual system must integrate motion signals across different image regions. Traditionally, researchers have examined this process by focusing on the integration of equally ambiguous motion signals. However, when the motions of complex, multi-featured images are measured through spatially limited receptive fields, the resulting motion measurements have varying degrees of ambiguity. In a series of experiments, we examine how human observers interpret images containing motion signals of differing degrees of ambiguity. Subjects judged the perceived coherence of images consisting of an ambiguously translating grating and an unambiguously translating random dot pattern. Perceived coherence of the dotted grating depended upon the degree of concurrence between the velocities of the grating terminators and dots. Depth relationships also played a critical role in the motion integration process. When terminators were suppressed with occlusion cues, coherence increased. When dots and gratings were presented at different depth planes, coherence decreased. We use these results to outline the conditions under which the visual system uses unambiguous motion signals to interpret object motion.