The effect of configural orientation on perceived trajectory in apparent motion

Abstract

In three experiments, we investigated apparent motion trajectories for stimuli flashed in different locations and at different orientations. It was found that, when stimuli were presented at different orientations, apparent motion trajectories were curved, although these paths were actually circular for only a restricted range of parameters. Curved apparent motion paths were induced by orientation changes in two stimuli that differed in how their orientation was specified. One was a rectangle (orientation-specific contour); the other was a circle (orientation-specific internal patterning). The following variables influenced the extent of apparent curvature seen: (1) the amount of orientation change presented, (2) the orientation of the stimulus symmetry, (3) the salience of configural orientation, and (4) the gender of the observer. © 1988 Psychonomic Society, Inc.