The influence of stationary and moving textured backgrounds on smooth-pursuit initiation and steady state
pursuit in humans
T. Niemann & K.-P. Hoffmann
Experimental Brain Research, 115:531-540, 1997
- During ego-motion an observer is often faced with the task of controlling his heading direction while simultaneously
registering the movement of objects in order to avoid possible obstacles. Psychophysical experiments have shown
that the detection of moving objects is impaired by concurrent ego-motion. We investigated the interaction between
ego-motion and object-motion by examining the latencies of saccades executed to moving targets under a visually
induced sensation of ego-motion. Saccadic latencies increased during this sensation, with a global or non-retinotopic
effect of optic flow on motion detection. Furthermore, separating stereoscopically the moving target and the optic
flow into foreground and background, respectively, still resulted in increased latencies. We propose that an inhibitory
influence of the perception of self-motion exists on the perception of object-motion. These results support a model
of space constancy which strives to create a stable world during locomotion.
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