Apparent rotation in three-dimensional space: Effects of temporal, spatial, and structural factors

Abstract

Several experiments were performed in an effort to determine the different combinations of display parameters that can reliably elicit a perceptually compelling impression of a solid object rotating rigidly in three-dimensional space. All of the displays were computer-generated simulations of rigid objects rotating in depth under parallel projection. The parameters investigated included the number of frames in the apparent motion sequence, the temporal and spatial displacements between frames, the number of elements in the depicted object, and the structural organization of those elements. The results indicated that there are large interactions among these different parameters in their effects on the perception of structure from motion. © 1988 Psychonomic Society, Inc.