Perception of orientation of motion as affected by change in divergence of texture, change in size, and in velocity.
When there is relative motion between an observer and a textured surface such as the ground, motion-related visual information is available about the orientation of the surface through vergence of the paths of the elements of the texture, change in their sizes and in their velocities. This experiment determined the perceptual effectiveness of each variable in foveal and peripheral viewing for producing perceptions of three-dimensional motion. The three variables were electronically separated and displayed singly, in all possible pairs, and all together. Subjects communicated their perceptions of degree of perceived surface tilt at the top, bottom, and middle of the display for the eight different combinations of variables because, during pilot work perceived surface bendings were frequently noted where top, bottom, and middle appeared tilted to different extents. All three variables can lead to relatively reliable perceptions of perceived orientation of the plane of motion, with change in velocity being the most powerful determiner. Change in size was the weakest. Certain combinations can lead to perceptions of extreme warping and should be avoided in motion displays. Subjects consistently underestimate the amount of simulated tilt. Foveal viewing was more accurate than peripheral viewing but peripheral performance was adequately consistent as an input channel for some orientation tasks.