On the perceptual identity of dynamic stereopsis and kinetic depth

This paper presents a set of experiments demonstrating novel interactions between kinetic depth (depth-from-motion) and dynamic stereopsis (depth-from-disparity). Previous research has shown that adaptation to a moving stereoscopic figure influences the subjective percept of a subsequently viewed kinetic depth figure. In this paper the interactions between kinetic depth and dynamic stereopsis are shown to be very robust and to occur in situations involving perceptual priming. It is also found that kinetic depth and dynamic stereo stimuli are indistinguishable when the stereoscopic stimulus has small, but perceptually salient, disparity. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that stimuli for kinetic depth and for dynamic stereopsis engage a common neural network.