Lightness constancy in reality, in virtual reality, and on flat-panel displays.

Virtual reality (VR) displays are being used in an increasingly wide range of applications. However, previous work shows that viewers often perceive scene properties very differently in real and virtual environments and so realistic perception of virtual stimuli should always be a carefully tested conclusion, not an assumption. One important property for realistic scene perception is surface color.

Perceiving depth and motion in depth from successive occlusion.

Occlusion, or interposition, is one of the strongest and best-known pictorial cues to depth. Furthermore, the successive occlusions of previous objects by newly presented objects produces an impression of increasing depth. Although the perceived motion associated with this illusion has been studied, the depth percept has not.

Familiar size affects perception differently in virtual reality and the real world.

The promise of virtual reality (VR) as a tool for perceptual and cognitive research rests on the assumption that perception in virtual environments generalizes to the real world. Here, we conducted two experiments to compare size and distance perception between VR and physical reality (Maltz . 2021 , 1-18).

The impacts of lens and stereo camera separation on perceived slant in Virtual Reality head-mounted displays.

Stereoscopic AR and VR headsets have displays and lenses that are either fixed or adjustable to match a limited range of user inter-pupillary distances (IPDs). Projective geometry predicts a misperception of depth when either the displays or virtual cameras used to render images are misaligned with the eyes. However, misalignment between the eyes and lenses might also affect binocular convergence, which could further distort perceived depth.

Shape judgments in natural scenes: Convexity biases versus stereopsis.

Determining the relief of upcoming terrain is critical to locomotion over rough or uneven ground. Given the significant contribution of stereopsis to perceived surface shape, it should play a crucial role in determining the shape of ground surfaces. The aim of this series of experiments was to evaluate the relative contribution of monocular and binocular depth cues to judgments of ground relief.

Stereoscopic depth constancy for physical objects and their virtual counterparts.

Stereopsis plays an important role in depth perception; if so, disparity-defined depth should not vary with distance. However, studies of stereoscopic depth constancy often report systematic distortions in depth judgments over distance, particularly for virtual stimuli. Our aim was to understand how depth estimation is impacted by viewing distance and display-based cue conflicts by replicating physical objects in virtual counterparts.

Perceived depth modulates perceptual resolution.

Humans constantly use depth information to support perceptual decisions about object size and location in space, as well as planning and executing actions. It was recently reported that perceived depth modulates perceptual performance even when depth information is not relevant to the task, with faster shape discrimination for objects perceived as being close to the observer. However, it is yet to be determined if the observed "close advantage" reflects differences in psychophysical sensitivity or response bias.

Cue vetoing in depth estimation: Physical and virtual stimuli.

Motion parallax and binocular disparity contribute to the perceived depth of three-dimensional (3D) objects. However, depth is often misperceived, even when both cues are available. This may be due in part to conflicts with unmodelled cues endemic to computerized displays.

The relationship between reflex eye realignment and the percept of single vision in young children.

Effective binocular vision is dependent on both motor and perceptual function. Young children undergo development of both components while interacting with their dynamic three-dimensional environment. When this development fails, eye misalignment and double vision may result.

Surface slant impairs disparity discontinuity discrimination.

Binocular disparity signals are highly informative about the three-dimensional structure of visual scenes, including aiding the detection of depth discontinuities between surfaces. Here, we examine factors affecting sensitivity to such surface discontinuities. Participants were presented with random dot stereograms depicting two planar surfaces slanted in opposite directions and were asked to judge the sign of the depth discontinuity created where those surfaces met.

Stereoscopic depth constancy from a different direction.

To calibrate stereoscopic depth from disparity our visual system must compensate for an object's egocentric location. Ideally, the perceived three-dimensional shape and size of objects in visual space should be invariant with their location such that rigid objects have a consistent identity and shape. These percepts should be accurate enough to support both perceptual judgments and visually-guided interaction.

Contributions of Stereopsis and Aviation Experience to Simulated Rotary Wing Altitude Estimation.

Objective: We examined the contribution of binocular vision and experience to performance on a simulated helicopter flight task.

Background: Although there is a long history of research on the role of binocular vision and stereopsis in aviation, there is no consensus on its operational relevance. This work addresses this using a naturalistic task in a virtual environment.

The impact of retinal motion on stereoacuity for physical targets.

In a series of studies using physical targets, we examined the effect of lateral retinal motion on stereoscopic depth discrimination thresholds. We briefly presented thin vertical lines, along with a fixation marker, at speeds ranging from 0 to 16 deg·s. Previous investigations of the effect of retinal motion on stereoacuity consistently show that there is little impact of retinal motion up to 2 deg·s, however, thresholds appear to rise steeply at higher velocities (greater than 3 deg·s).

Monovision: Consequences for depth perception from large disparities.

Recent studies have confirmed that monovision treatment degrades stereopsis but it is not clear if these effects are limited to fine disparity processing, or how they are affected by viewing distance or age. Given the link between stereopsis and postural stability, it is important that we have full understanding of the impact of monovision on binocular function. In this study we assessed the short-term effects of optically induced monovision on a depth-discrimination task for young and older (presbyopic) adults.

Optimal combination of illusory and luminance-defined 3-D surfaces: A role for ambiguity.

The shape of the illusory surface in stereoscopic Kanizsa figures is determined by the interpolation of depth from the luminance edges of adjacent inducing elements. Despite ambiguity in the position of illusory boundaries, observers reliably perceive a coherent three-dimensional (3-D) surface. However, this ambiguity may contribute additional uncertainty to the depth percept beyond what is expected from measurement noise alone.

Disparity configuration influences depth discrimination in naïve adults, but not in children.

We report a series of experiments in which we assess depth discrimination performance in adults and children using a disparity-balanced target configuration to avoid the effects of anticipatory vergence eye movements. In our first study we found that children outperformed adults by a substantial margin, and the adults were consistently near chance. This was surprising given that we initially tested naïve adults to provide a benchmark for the children's data, and all observers met the criterion for stereoacuity.

Depth magnitude from stereopsis: Assessment techniques and the role of experience.

Investigations of the relationship between binocular disparity and suprathreshold depth magnitude percepts have used a variety of tasks, stimuli, and methods. Collectively, the results confirm that depth percepts increase with increasing disparity, but there are large differences in how well the estimates correspond to geometric predictions. To evaluate the source of these differences, we assessed depth magnitude percepts for simple stereoscopic stimuli, using both intra- and cross-modal estimation methods, and a large range of test disparities for both experienced and inexperienced observers.

Size matters: Perceived depth magnitude varies with stimulus height.

Both the upper and lower disparity limits for stereopsis vary with the size of the targets. Recently, Tsirlin, Wilcox, and Allison (2012) suggested that perceived depth magnitude from stereopsis might also depend on the vertical extent of a stimulus. To test this hypothesis we compared apparent depth in small discs to depth in long bars with equivalent width and disparity.

Perceived three-dimensional shape toggles perceived glow.

Most surfaces reflect light from external sources, but others emit light: they glow. Glowing surfaces are often a sign of an important feature of the environment, such as a heat source or a bioluminescent life form, but we know little about how the human visual system identifies them. Previous work has shown that luminance and luminance gradients are important in glow perception [1,2].

Perceptual grouping via binocular disparity: The impact of stereoscopic good continuation.

Stereoscopic contextual effects are widely reported but are generally discussed in terms of 2-D Gestalt grouping principles, e.g., good continuation or closure.

Gestalt grouping via closure degrades suprathreshold depth percepts.

It is well known that the perception of depth is susceptible to changes in configuration. For example, stereoscopic precision for a pair of vertical lines can be dramatically reduced when these lines are connected to form a closed object. Here, we extend this paradigm to suprathreshold estimates of perceived depth.

A computational theory of da Vinci stereopsis.

In binocular vision, occlusion of one object by another gives rise to monocular occlusions—regions visible only in one eye. Although binocular disparities cannot be computed for these regions, monocular occlusions can be precisely localized in depth and can induce the perception of illusory occluding surfaces. The phenomenon of depth perception from monocular occlusions, known as da Vinci stereopsis, is intriguing, but its mechanisms are not well understood.

Vergence eye movements are not essential for stereoscopic depth.

The brain receives disparate retinal input owing to the separation of the eyes, yet we usually perceive a single fused world. This is because of complex interactions between sensory and oculomotor processes that quickly act to reduce excessive retinal disparity. This implies a strong link between depth perception and fusion, but it is well established that stereoscopic depth percepts are also obtained from stimuli that produce double images.

Sparing of coarse stereopsis in stereodeficient children with a history of amblyopia.

Stereoscopic depth perception may be obtained from small retinal disparities that can be fused for single vision (fine stereopsis), but reliable depth information is also obtained from larger disparities that produce double vision (coarse stereopsis). Here we assess the possibility that the early development of coarse stereopsis makes it resilient to the factors that cause amblyopia by comparing performance in children with a history of strabismic, anisometropic, or aniso-strabismic amblyopia and age-matched controls (5-12 years). The task was to indicate whether a cartoon character was nearer or farther away than a zero-disparity reference frame.

On the typical development of stereopsis: fine and coarse processing.

Stereoscopic depth perception may be obtained from small retinal disparities that can be fused for single vision (fine stereopsis), but reliable depth information is also obtained from larger disparities that produce double vision (coarse stereopsis). While there is some evidence that stereoacuity improves with age, little is known about the development and maturation of coarse stereopsis. Here we address this gap by assessing the maturation of stereoscopic depth perception in children (4-14 years) and adults over a large range of disparities from fused (fine) to diplopic (coarse).