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.
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This research was supported by Air Force Grant AFOSR-87-Q238, NASA Grant NCA2-87, and NICHD Grant HD-16195. The second author was supported by NRSA Postdoctoral Fellowship HD-Q7036 from NICHD. Heiko Hecht, Jeffrey Lande, Ellen McMee, Mary Riser, David Shulman, and Monica Schnicke helped conduct the experiments. Stephen Jacquot programmed the stimulus displays. Portions of this paper were presented at the Western Psychological Association’s 67th annual convention, April 1987.
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Proffit, D.R., Gilden, D.L., Kaiser, M.K. et al. The effect of configural orientation on perceived trajectory in apparent motion. Perception & Psychophysics 43, 465–474 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207882
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207882