Hemispheric asymmetries in hierarchical stimulus processing are modulated by stimulus categories and their predictability
Published in:
Kéïta, L., & Bedoin, N. (2011). Hemispheric asymmetries in hierarchical stimuli processing are modulated by stimulus categories and their predictability. Laterality, 16(3), 333-355.
Hemispheric dominance has been behaviourally documented for the local (left
hemisphere, LH) or global (right... more
Hemispheric dominance has been behaviourally documented for the local (left
hemisphere, LH) or global (right hemisphere, RH) processing of hierarchical letters.
However, Fink et al. (1997) indicated that stimulus category modulates this hemispheric
asymmetry. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the category (letters
versus objects) on hemispheric specialisation for global and local processing using a visual
half-field presentation in a task where participants ignored whether the target appeared at the
global or local level. In Experiment 1, we replicated the classic hemispheric asymmetry for
global/local processing of hierarchical letters. In Experiment 2, which consisted of
hierarchical objects processing, a RH dominance for the local level was observed. In
Experiment 3, a within-subject task was used where the anticipation about the stimulus
category was precluded, resulting in the classic RH and LH specialisations for global and
local processing for both letter-based and object-based stimuli. Taken together, these results
suggest that the highly-demanding local processing stage engages one hemisphere more than
the other, according to the lateralisation of cerebral networks specialised for this level, in
addition to stimulus category. Therefore hemispheric specialisation for global/local levels
depends at least in part, on the category of the stimuli.
The hierarchical order of processes underlying the direction illusion and the direction aftereffect
by Kevin Brooks
Farrell-Whelan, M., Wenderoth, P. & Brooks, K. R. (in press). The hierarchical order of processes underlying the direction illusion and the direction aftereffect. Perception, accepted 19 Mar 2012.
Motion perception involves the processing of velocity signals through several hierarchical stages of the visual... more Motion perception involves the processing of velocity signals through several hierarchical stages of the visual cortex. To better understand this process, a number of studies have sought to localize the neural substrates of two misperceptions of motion direction, the direction illusion (DI) and the direction aftereffect (DAE). These studies have produced contradictory evidence as to the hierarchical order of the processing stages from which the respective phenomena arise. We have used a simple stimulus configuration to further investigate the sequential order of processes giving rise to the DI and DAE. To this end, we measured the two phenomena invoked in combination, and also manually parsed this combined effect into its two constituents by measuring the two phenomena individually in both possible sequential orders. Comparing the outcomes from each order to the outcome from the combined effect allowed us to test the tenability of two models: the DAE-first model and the DI-first model. Our results indicate that DAE-invoking activity does not occur earlier in the motion processing hierarchy than DI-invoking activity. Although the DI-first model is not inconsistent with our data, the possible involvement of non-sequential processing may be better able to reconcile these results with those of previous studies.
Sensitivity to feature displacement in familiar and unfamiliar faces: Beyond the internal/external feature distinction
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Kemp, R. I. (2007). Sensitivity to feature displacement in familiar and unfamiliar faces: Beyond the internal/external feature distinction. Perception, 36, 1646-1659, http://www.perceptionweb.com/abstract.cgi?id=p5675, doi:10.1068/p5675
Previous studies of face recognition and of face matching have shown a general improvement for the processing of... more Previous studies of face recognition and of face matching have shown a general improvement for the processing of internal features as a face becomes more familiar to the participant. In this study, we used a psychophysical two-alternative forced choice paradigm to investigate thresholds for the detection of a displacement of the eyes, nose, mouth, or ears for familiar and unfamiliar faces. No clear division between internal and external features was observed. Rather, for familiar (compared to unfamiliar) faces participants were more sensitive to displacements of internal features such as the eyes or the nose; yet, for our third internal feature--the mouth--no such difference was observed. Despite large displacements, many subjects were unable to perform above chance when stimuli involved shifts in the position of the ears. These results are consistent with the proposal that familiarity effects may be mediated by the construction of a robust representation of a face, although the involvement of attention in the encoding of face stimuli cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, these effects are mediated by information from a spatial configuration of features, rather than by purely feature-based information.
Spatial scale of stereomotion speed processing
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Stone L. S. (2006). Spatial scale of stereomotion speed processing. Journal of Vision, 6, 1257-1266, http://journalofvision.org/6/11/9, doi:10.1167/6.11.9
To examine the spatial scale of the mechanisms supporting the perception of motion in depth defined by binocular cues,... more To examine the spatial scale of the mechanisms supporting the perception of motion in depth defined by binocular cues, we measured stereomotion speed discrimination thresholds as a function of stimulus size using a two-interval speed comparison task. Stimuli were either random dot stereogram (RDS) bars featuring both the changing disparity (CD) and the interocular velocity difference (IOVD) cues to motion in depth or dynamic random dot stereogram (DRDS) bars featuring the CD cue alone. Monocular speed discrimination performance was also assessed, using half-images of the RDS stimulus. In addition, subjects’ stereoacuity for stationary versions of the binocular stimuli was measured. Stimuli ranged in vertical extent from 1.25 to 40 min. Sensitivity to speed differences was strongly related to stimulus height for DRDS stimuli. Performance decreased rapidly as stimulus size was reduced, becoming nearly random for heights below 5 min. However, for RDS stimuli, speed discrimination performance declined with reductions in stimulus size at a far slower rate, providing superior performance at every stimulus size used. Monocular performance was superior still for the majority of subjects, yet showed a similar rate of decline to binocular RDS stimuli. We conclude that the spatial resolution of the CD mechanism and its static disparity inputs is, on average, nearly nine times more coarse than the IOVD system and its monocular motion inputs. Static stereoacuity controls show that this finding cannot be explained by differences in the disparity signals available in our RDS and DRDS stimuli.
Stereomotion suppression and the perception of speed: accuracy and precision as a function of 3D trajectory
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Stone L. S. (2006). Stereomotion suppression and the perception of speed: accuracy and precision as a function of 3D trajectory. Journal of Vision, 6, 1214-1223, http://journalofvision.org/6/11/6, doi:10.1167/6.11.6
The precision and accuracy of speed discrimination performance for stereomotion stimuli were assessed for several... more
The precision and accuracy of speed discrimination performance for stereomotion stimuli were assessed for several receding 3D trajectories confined to the horizontal meridian. It has previously been demonstrated in a variety of tasks that detection thresholds are substantially higher when subjects observe a stereomotion stimulus than when simply viewing one of its component monocular half-imagesVa phenomenon known as stereomotion suppression (C. W. Tyler, 1971). Using monocularly visible motion in depth targets, we found mean speed discrimination thresholds to be higher for stereomotion,
compared with monocular lateral speed discrimination thresholds for equivalent stimuli, demonstrating a disadvantage for binocular viewing in the case of speed discrimination as well. Furthermore, speed discrimination thresholds for motion in depth were not systematically affected by trajectory angle; hence, the disadvantage of binocular viewing persists even when there are concurrent changes in binocular visual direction. Lastly, there was a tendency for oblique trajectories of stereomotion to be perceived as faster than equally rapid motion receding directly away from the subject along the midline. Our data, in addition to earlier stereomotion suppression observations, are consistent with a stereomotion system that takes a noisy, weighted difference of the stimulus velocities in the two eyes to compute motion in depth.
The swinging doors of perception: Stereomotion without binocular matching
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Gillam, B. J. (2006). The swinging doors of perception: stereomotion without binocular matching. Journal of Vision, 6, 685-695, http://journalofvision.org/6/7/2, doi:10.1167/6.7.2
Until recently, it was considered necessary for features in the two eyes to be matched before the evaluation of... more Until recently, it was considered necessary for features in the two eyes to be matched before the evaluation of differences in their locations (binocular disparities) could reveal depth information. Motion in depth can also be perceived binocularly from related changes in the locations of matched binocular features. However, unmatched features can arise when a binocular object occludes more distant features in one eye but not the other. The presence and extent of such features can provide quantitative depth information, although perceived depth relative to geometrical predictions may vary from one such arrangement to another. The ability of humans to perceive motion in depth from unmatched stimuli has not previously been explored. Here, we use B. Gillam, S. Blackburn, and K. Nakayama’s (1999) ‘‘monocular gap’’ stimuli to investigate perception of motion in depth simulated by a change in the extent of a monocularly occluded feature in a binocular display. Settings of a motion in depth probe revealed that the magnitude of perceived motion in depth is generally as large as that for a stimulus containing matchable binocular features. We show that our stimuli provide disambiguating information not present in similar static stimuli. We conclude that in the computation of motion in depth, a binocular match is not required. A new cue--dynamic half-occlusion--can be used to reach an accurate percept.
Quantitative perceived depth from sequential monocular decamouflage
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Gillam, B. J. (2006). Quantitative perceived depth from sequential monocular decamouflage. Vision Research, 46, 605-613. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2005.06.015
We present a novel binocular stimulus without conventional disparity cues whose presence and depth are revealed by... more We present a novel binocular stimulus without conventional disparity cues whose presence and depth are revealed by sequential monocular stimulation (delay P 80 ms). Vertical white lines were occluded as they passed behind an otherwise camouflaged black rectangular target. The location (and instant) of the occlusion event, decamouflaging the targets edges, differed in the two eyes. Probe settings to match the depth of the black rectangular target showed a monotonic increase with simulated depth. Control tests discounted the possibility of subjects integrating retinal disparities over an extended temporal window or using temporal disparity. Sequential monocular decamouflage was found to be as precise and accurate as conventional simultaneous stereopsis with equivalent depths and exposure durations.
Monocular Transparency and unpaired stereopsis
by Kevin Brooks
Grove, P. M., Brooks, K. R., Anderson, B. L. & Gillam, B. J. (2006). Monocular transparency and unpaired stereopsis. Vision Research, 46, 3041-3053. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2006.05.003
Howard and Duke [Howard, I.P., & Duke, P.A. (2003). Monocular transparency generates quantitative depth. Vision... more Howard and Duke [Howard, I.P., & Duke, P.A. (2003). Monocular transparency generates quantitative depth. Vision Research, 43, 2615–2621] recently proposed a new source of binocular information they claim is used to recover depth in stereoscopic displays. They argued that these displays lack conventional disparity and that the metrical depth experienced results from transparency rather than occlusion relations. Using a variety of modified versions of their stimuli, we show here that the conditions for transparency are not required to elicit the depth experienced in their stereograms. We demonstrated that quantitative and precise depth depended not on the presence of transparency but on the presence of horizontal contours of the same contrast polarity. Depth was attenuated, particularly at larger target offsets, when horizontal contours had opposite contrast polarity for at least a portion of their length. We also show that a demonstration Howard and Duke used to control for the role of horizontal contours can be understood as an example of Gillam et al.’s Gillam, B.J., Blackburn, S., & Nakayama, K. (1999). Stereopsis based on monocular gaps: metrical coding of depth and slant without matching contours. Vision Research, 39, 493–502 monocular gap stereopsis; a form of binocular occlusion. In summary the findings reported by Howard and Duke can be understood by known processes for the computation of binocular disparity and binocular occlusion.
Perceived speed of motion in depth is reduced in the periphery
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. & Mather, G., (2000). Perceived speed of motion in depth is reduced in the periphery. Vision Research, 40, 3507-3516.
The perceived speed of motion in depth (MID) for a monocularly visible target was measured in central and peripheral... more The perceived speed of motion in depth (MID) for a monocularly visible target was measured in central and peripheral vision using a 2AFC speed discrimination task. Only binocular cues to MID were available: changing disparity and interocular velocity difference (IOVD). Perceived speed for monocular lateral motion and perceived depth for static disparity were also assessed, again in both central and peripheral vision. The purpose of the experiment was to assess the relative contributions of changing disparity and IOVD cues to the perceived speed of stereomotion. Although peripheral stimuli appeared to lie at approximately the same depth as their central counterparts, their apparent speed was reduced. Monocular/lateral and binocular/MID speeds were reduced to a similar extent. It seems that reduced apparent monocular speed leads to reduced perceived MID speed, despite the fact that the disparity system appears to be unaffected. These results suggest that the IOVD cue makes a significant contribution to MID speed perception.
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Seen by:Monocular motion adaptation affects the perceived trajectory of stereomotion
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. (2002b). Monocular motion adaptation affects the perceived trajectory of stereomotion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 28, 1470-1482.
Perceived stereomotion trajectory was measured before and after adaptation to lateral motion in the dominant or... more Perceived stereomotion trajectory was measured before and after adaptation to lateral motion in the dominant or nondominant eye to assess the relative contributions of 2 cues: changing disparity and interocular velocity difference. Perceived speed for monocular lateral motion and perceived binocular visual direction (BVD) was also assessed. Unlike stereomotion trajectory perception, the BVD of static targets showed an ocular dominance bias, even without adaptation. Adaptation caused equivalent biases in perceived trajectory and monocular motion speed, without significantly affecting perceived BVD. Predictions from monocular motion data closely match trajectory perception data, unlike those from BVD sources. The results suggest that the interocular velocity differences make a significant contribution to stereomotion trajectory perception.
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Seen by:Hinge versus twist: the effects of “reference surface” and discontinuities on stereoscopic slant perception
by Kevin Brooks
Gillam, B. J., Blackburn, S. & Brooks, K. R. (2007). Hinge versus twist: the effects of “reference surface” and discontinuities on stereoscopic slant perception. Perception, 36, 596-616, doi: 10.1068/p5535
Stereoscopic slant perception around a vertical axis (horizontal slant) is often found to be strongly attenuated... more
Stereoscopic slant perception around a vertical axis (horizontal slant) is often found to be strongly attenuated relative to geometric prediction. Stereo slant is much greater, however,
when an adjacent surface, stereoscopically in the frontal plane, is added. This slant enhancement is often attributed to the presence of a `reference surface' or to a spatial change in the disparity gradient (introducing second and higher derivatives of disparity). Gillam, Chambers, and Russo (1988 Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 14 163-175) questioned the role of these factors in that placement of the frontal-plane surface in a direction collinear with the slant axis (twist configuration) sharply reduced latency for perceiving slant whereas placing the same surface in a direction orthogonal to the slant axis (hinge configuration) had little effect.We here confirm these findings for slant magnitude, showing a striking advantage for twist over hinge configurations.We also examined contrast slant measured on the frontal-plane surface in the hinge and twist configurations. Under conditions where test and inducer surfaces have centres at the same depth for twist and hinge, we found that twist configurations produced strong negative slant contrast, while hinge configurations produced significant positive contrast or slant assimilation.We conclude that stereo slant and contrast effects for neighbouring surfaces can only be understood from the patterns and gradients of step disparities present. It is not adequate to consider the second surface merely as a reference slant for the first or as having its effect via a spatial change in the disparity gradient.
Stereomotion perception for a monocularly camouflaged stimulus
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Gillam, B. J. (2007). Stereomotion perception for a monocularly camouflaged stimulus. Journal of Vision, 7, 1-14, http://journalofvision.org/7/13/1, doi:10.1167/7.13.1
Under usual circumstances, motion in depth is associated with conventional stereomotion cues: a change in disparity... more Under usual circumstances, motion in depth is associated with conventional stereomotion cues: a change in disparity and differences between object velocities in each monocular image. However, occasionally these cues are unavailable due to the fact that in one eye the object may be occluded by, or camouflaged against appropriately positioned binocular objects. We report two experiments concerned with stereomotion perception under conditions of monocular camouflage. In Experiment 1, the visible half-image of a monocularly camouflaged object translated laterally. In this binocular context, percepts of lateral motion and motion in depth were equally consistent with the stimulus. Subjects perceived an oblique trajectory of 3D motion, compared to the more direct 3D trajectory experienced for binocularly matched stimuli. In Experiment 2, the perceived velocity of stereomotion was assessed. Again, for the stimulus used in Experiment 1, perceived stereomotion speed was lower than that for matched stimuli. However, when additional background objects were present, tightening the ecological constraints, perceived stereomotion velocity was often equivalent to that for matched stimuli. These results demonstrate for the first time that the motion of a monocularly camouflaged object can result in the perception of stereomotion, and that the perceived trajectory and speed are influenced by the ecological constraints of binocular geometry.
Perceptual memory for highly familiar people’s body shape: manipulation of images of the self and friend
by Kevin Brooks
Daury, N., Brooks, K. R. & Bredart, S. (2009). Perceptual memory for highly familiar people’s body shape: manipulation of images of the self and friend. Perception, 38, 261-270.
Previous studies have shown that people's ability to detect, from memory, alterations in highly familiar faces is... more
Previous studies have shown that people's ability to detect, from memory, alterations in highly familiar faces is excellent. Indeed, just noticeable differences for the detection of small alterations in a recognition-memory task were not significantly different from the corresponding measures in a perceptual-discrimination task (Bre¨dart and Devue, 2006 Perception 35 101-106; Ge et al, 2003 Perception 32 601-614). The object of the present study was to evaluate whether people's perceptual memory for body shapes of very familiar persons reaches the high level of precision that was reported for face memory. For one group of participants, the task was to detect body shape alterations (an increase or a decrease of 2% to 10% of the waist-to-hip ratio) on photographs depicting either themselves or a friend. For another group of participants who did not know the target persons, the task was to discriminate whether two photographs presented side by side were the same or not. Results showed that the detection of alterations was significantly
better in the perceptual-discrimination task than in the recognition-memory tasks (for the participant's own body as well as for the friend's body). In conclusion, the high fidelity of perceptual memory for very familiar faces does not extend to familiar body shapes.
Breaking camouflage: Binocular disparity reduces contrast masking in natural images
by Kevin Brooks
Wardle, S., Cass, J., Brooks, K.R. & Alais, D. (2010). Breaking camouflage: Binocular disparity reduces contrast masking in natural images. Journal of Vision, 10, 38, 1-12, http://www.journalofvision.org/content/10/14/38, doi:10.1167/10.14.38.
Visual overlay masking is typically studied with a mask and target located at the same depth plane. Masking is reduced... more Visual overlay masking is typically studied with a mask and target located at the same depth plane. Masking is reduced when binocular disparity separates the target from the mask (G. Moraglia & B. Schneider, 1990). We replicate this finding for a broadband target masked by natural images and find the greatest masking (threshold elevation) when target and mask occupy the same depth plane. Masking was reduced equally whether the target appeared at a crossed or an uncrossed disparity. We measure the tuning of masking and determine the extent of the benefit afforded by disparity. Threshold elevation decreases monotonically with increasing disparity until +/-8 arcmin. Two underlying components to the masking are evident; one accounts for around two-thirds of the masking and is independent of disparity. The second component is disparity-dependent and results in additional masking when there is zero disparity. Importantly, the reduction in masking with disparity cannot be explained by interocular decorrelation; we use a single-interval orientation discrimination task to exclude this possibility. We conclude that when the target and mask are presented at different depths they activate distinct populations of disparity-tuned neurons, resulting in less masking of the target.
Contrast and stimulus complexity moderate the relationship between spatial frequency and perceived speed: Implications for MT models of speed perception
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R., Morris, T., & Thompson, P. (2011). Contrast and stimulus complexity moderate the relationship between spatial frequency and perceived speed: Implications for MT models of speed perception. Journal of Vision, 11(14):19, 1–10, http://www.journalofvision.org/content/11/14/19, doi:10.1167/11.14.19.
Area MT in extrastriate visual cortex is widely believed to be responsible for the perception of object speed. Recent... more Area MT in extrastriate visual cortex is widely believed to be responsible for the perception of object speed. Recent physiological data show that many cells in macaque visual area MT change their speed preferences with a change in stimulus spatial frequency (N. J. Priebe, C. R. Cassanello, & S. G. Lisberger, 2003) and that this effect can accurately predict the dependence of perceived speed on spatial frequency demonstrated in a related psychophysical study (N. J. Priebe & S. G. Lisberger, 2004). For more complex compound gratings and high contrast stimuli, MT cell speed preferences show sharper tuning and less dependence on spatial frequency (Priebe et al., 2003), allowing us to predict that such stimuli should produce speed percepts that are less vulnerable to spatial frequency variations. We investigated the perceived speed of simple sine wave gratings and more complex compound gratings (formed from 2 sine wave components) in response to changes in contrast and spatial frequency. In all cases, high contrast stimuli appeared to translate more rapidly. In addition, high spatial frequencies appeared fasterVthe opposite effect to that predicted by changes in MT cell spatial frequency preferences. Complex grating stimuli were somewhat “protected” from the effect of spatial frequency (compared to simple gratings), as predicted. However, contrary to predictions, the effect of spatial frequency was larger in high (compared to low) contrast gratings. Our data demonstrate that the previously established links between changes in MT cells’ speed preferences and human speed perception are more complex than first thought.
Challenging the distribution shift: Statically-induced direction illusion implicates differential processing of object-relative and non-object-relative motion
by Kevin Brooks
Farrell-Whelan, M., Brooks, K. R. & Wenderoth, P. (2012). Challenging the distribution shift: Statically-induced direction illusion implicates differential processing of object-relative and non-object-relative motion. Vision Research, 58, 10-18.
The direction illusion is the phenomenal exaggeration of the angle between the drift directions, typically, of two... more
The direction illusion is the phenomenal exaggeration of the angle between the drift directions, typically, of two superimposed sets of random dots. The direction illusion is commonly attributed to mutual inhibition between direction selective cell populations (distribution-shift model). A second explanation attributes the direction illusion to the differential processing of relative and non-relative motion components (differential processing model). Our first experiment demonstrates that, as predicted by the differential processing model, a static line can invoke a misperception of direction in a single set of dots – a phenomenon we refer to as the statically-induced direction illusion. In a second experiment, we find that the orientation of a static line can also influence the size of the conventional direction illusion. A third experiment eliminates the possibility that these results can be explained by the presence of motion streaks. While the results of these experiments are in agreement with the predictions made by the differential processing model, they pose serious problems for the distribution-shift account of shifts in perceived
direction.
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Seen by:Speed can go up as well as down at low contrast: Implications for models of motion perception
by Kevin Brooks
Thompson, P., Brooks, K. R. & Hammett S. (2006). Speed can go up as well as down at low contrast: implications for models of motion processing. Vision Research, 46, 782-786. doi:10.1016/j.visres.2005.08.005
It is well-known that reducing the contrast of a slow moving stimulus reduces its apparent speed. [Thompson, P.... more It is well-known that reducing the contrast of a slow moving stimulus reduces its apparent speed. [Thompson, P. (1982). Perceived rate of movement depends on contrast. Vision Research, 22, 377–380.] report of this finding also suggested that at speeds above 8 cycles/s reducing contrast increased perceived speed. However in a later report, Stone and Thompson (1992), using a more rigorous, forced-choice procedure, failed to collect reliable data at these higher speeds. Here, we confirm that faster moving stimuli can appear to move faster than their true speed at low contrasts and we propose a physiologically plausible ratio model that unlike recent Bayesian models (e.g. Weiss, Y., Simoncelli, E. P., & Adelson, E. H. (2002). Motion illusions as optimal percepts. Nature Neuroscience, 5, 598–604) can account well for the results.
Interocular velocity difference contributes to stereomotion speed perception
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. (2002a). Interocular velocity difference contributes to stereomotion speed perception. Journal of Vision, 2, 218-231, http://journalofvision.org/2/3/2/, doi:10.1167/2.3.2.
Two experiments are presented assessing the contributions of the rate of change of disparity (CD) and interocular... more Two experiments are presented assessing the contributions of the rate of change of disparity (CD) and interocular velocity difference (IOVD) cues to stereomotion speed perception. Using a two-interval forced-choice paradigm, the perceived speed of directly approaching and receding stereomotion and of monocular lateral motion in random dot stereogram (RDS) targets was measured. Prior adaptation using dysjunctively moving random dot stimuli induced a velocity aftereffect (VAE). The degree of interocular correlation in the adapting images was manipulated to assess the effectiveness of each cue. While correlated adaptation involved a conventional RDS stimulus, containing both IOVD and CD cues, uncorrelated adaptation featured an independent dot array in each monocular half-image, and hence lacked a coherent disparity signal. Adaptation produced a larger VAE for stereomotion than for monocular lateral motion, implying effects at neural sites beyond that of binocular combination. For motion passing through the horopter, correlated and uncorrelated adaptation stimuli produced equivalent stereomotion VAEs. The possibility that these results were due to the adaptation of a CD mechanism through random matches in the uncorrelated stimulus was discounted in a control experiment. Here both simultaneous and sequential adaptation of left and right eyes produced similar stereomotion VAEs. Motion at uncrossed disparities was also affected by both correlated and uncorrelated adaptation stimuli, but showed a significantly greater VAE in response to the former. These results show that (1) there are two separate, specialised mechanisms for encoding stereomotion: one through IOVD, the other through CD; (2) the IOVD cue dominates the perception of stereomotion speed for stimuli passing through the horopter; and (3) at a disparity pedestal both the IOVD and the CD cues have a significant influence.
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Seen by:Stereomotion speed perception is contrast dependent
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. (2001). Stereomotion speed perception is contrast dependent. Perception, 30, 725-731.
The effect of contrast on the perception of stimulus speed for stereomotion and monocular lateral motion was... more The effect of contrast on the perception of stimulus speed for stereomotion and monocular lateral motion was investigated for successive matches in random-dot stimuli. The familiar `Thompson effect' - that a reduction in contrast leads to a reduction in perceived speed - was found in similar proportions for both binocular images moving in depth, and for monocular images translating laterally. This result is consistent with the idea that the monocular motion system has a significant input to the stereomotion system, and dominates the speed percept for approaching motion.
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Seen by:Stereomotion suppression and the perception of speed: Accuracy and precision as a function of 3D trajectory
by Kevin Brooks
Brooks, K. R. & Stone L. S. (2006). Stereomotion suppression and the perception of speed: accuracy and precision as a function of 3D trajectory. Journal of Vision, 6, 1214-1223, http://journalofvision.org/6/11/6, doi:10.1167/6.11.6
The precision and accuracy of speed discrimination performance for stereomotion stimuli were assessed for several... more
The precision and accuracy of speed discrimination performance for stereomotion stimuli were assessed for several receding 3D trajectories confined to the horizontal meridian. It has previously been demonstrated in a variety of tasks that detection thresholds are substantially higher when subjects observe a stereomotion stimulus than when simply viewing one of its component monocular half-imagesVa phenomenon known as stereomotion suppression (C. W. Tyler, 1971). Using monocularly visible motion in depth targets, we found mean speed discrimination thresholds to be higher for stereomotion,
compared with monocular lateral speed discrimination thresholds for equivalent stimuli, demonstrating a disadvantage for binocular viewing in the case of speed discrimination as well. Furthermore, speed discrimination thresholds for motion in depth were not systematically affected by trajectory angle; hence, the disadvantage of binocular viewing persists even when there are concurrent changes in binocular visual direction. Lastly, there was a tendency for oblique trajectories of stereomotion to be perceived as faster than equally rapid motion receding directly away from the subject along the midline. Our data, in addition to earlier stereomotion suppression observations, are consistent with a stereomotion system that takes a noisy, weighted difference of the stimulus velocities in the two eyes to compute motion in depth.
