Integration of space and time leading to the simultaneous perception of depth and motion - perception of objects moving behind a thin slit

Abstract

We investigated how the visual system determines 3D depth from the integration of space and time, specifically spatial and temporal binocular disparity. We carried out psychophysical experiments to investigate whether the binocular disparity gives correct 3D depth of objects moving behind a thin slit that controls the type and amount of information available to the visual system. The results indicate that: (1) Wheatstone stereo in corresponding images gives correct depth, (2) Da Vinci stereo in stationary non-corresponding images does not give correct depth judgment, and (3) the time delay between the two images gives correct depth for a wide range of noncorrespondence. The results suggest the cortical mechanism that processes simultaneously spatial and temporal information; presumably the two are inseparable in the neural system.