Understanding Motion Perception: The Dynamics of Visual Change Detection in Psychology
This paper explores the complexities of motion perception within the field of psychology, particularly the role of visual systems in detecting change. It examines key concepts such as reference frames, the distinction between first-order and second-order motion, and the importance of retinal image changes over time. Through the analysis of motion contexts, the study highlights how our perception of motion is influenced by various factors, including adaptation and neural processing. Additionally, it addresses the interplay between static and dynamic visual signals and offers insights into perceptual organization and its implications for understanding motion in our environment.
Understanding Motion Perception: The Dynamics of Visual Change Detection in Psychology
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Presentation Transcript
Psy280: Perception Prof. Anderson Department of Psychology Vision 7 Motion
Optional papers: QuALMRI • Question/hypothesis • Alternative • Logic • Method • Results • Inferences • Detailed description on website
Motion: Frames of reference • What does the term "at rest" mean? • Can you cite an example of an object at rest? • Is the room at rest? • Room has at least three types of motion • Motion due to earth :24000 miles / 24 hours = 1000 miles/hr • Earth circles the sun:2 pi 93,000,000 miles / 8760 hours = 66700 miles/hr • Sun circles the galaxy (30,000 light year = r) every 1 / 4 billion years 1.76 x 1017 miles / 2.19 x 1012 hr = 80400 miles/ hr • Is there anything that is not moving? • Must be careful about our description of motion • Moving relative to what reference frame?
Animism: Worshiping the light • Divides living organisms • Animals vs plants • Capacity for voluntary movement • vs phototropism • Co-evolution • Organisms that move • Evolution of a capacity to sense movement
Invisible motion: Morning glory • 5 AM to 7PM • Open in morning • Pollination by diurnal insect • Dies in afternoon • Motion too slow to notice even dramatic change • Our visual system are tuned to events that move more quickly • E.g., Animals (fast) not plants (slow)
Motion and change detection • Visual motion is sensing change in retinal image (sort of) • As duration between changes increases perception of motion decreases • Motion is a perceptual adaptation for detection of change, otherwise invisible to the eye Can tell difference across time Can’t tell difference across space
Motion and the retinal image • Change in image intensity (luminance) over time • Dark to light • Light to dark Difference image
Illusory movement:Apparent motion • Luminance change • No physical continuity • Infer motion where none is present • Critical temporal/spatial parameters • Simultaneous flicker • <10 ms interval • Perceive 2 events • Motion • ~60 ms interval • Perceive 1 event
Not just simple luminance change: 2nd order motion • First-order motion • Change in luminance boundary • Luminance change doesn’t explain all motion • Second-order motion • Motion but no luminance boundary • Not net luminance change • Object disappears when motion stops
Second order motion:Illusory shapes and motion • No luminance boundary for low-level motion detectors to use • Motion perception must rely on other top-down/higher-order influences • Simple luminance based motion detectors can’t explain all of motion perception
Simple luminance detectors won’t do: The aperture problem • Narrow view of world through small receptive fields (RF) • Ambiguity of direction of motion • Need additional info for accurate motion sensing • Edges or texture
The aperture problem • Looking at motion through the window of one neuron • RF represents horizontal motion • Global scene has different motion • Local computations don’t necessarily explain motion • Need to share information across neurons Perceived motion
Motion perception: More than the sum of its parts • The underlying mechanism involves signals at different retinal locations being integrated to arrive at global motion signals
Motion integration at the same retinal location: Plaids • First order low-level motion detectors • Respond to each component of motion (horizontal and vertical) • Motion integration • Don’t perceive either • Create common directional signal • Like force vectors • Down & left moving plaid
Motion detection as an opponent process • Like colour vision: Red-green, blue-yellow • Motion • Up-down • Left-right • Spiral in-out • Enhances “motion contrast”
Motion after effect • Reversing waterfall • Fatigue your direction sensitive neurons • See opposite motion where there is none • Explanation • No motion • Direction selective cells produce equal responses • No longer equally oppose each other • E.g., Adapt to red—>perceive green
Spiral motion after effect: Disfiguring Brad • Fatigue neurons representing radial expansion • Induces radial contraction due to lessened inhibitory influence • Motion (perception) is a perceptual/neural process, not necessarily a property of the world (object movement)!
Direction repulsion: Lateral inhibitory influences in motion • Vertical and 45 degree movement • Interact to enlarge directional disparity • Evidence of lateral inhibitory interactions between motion detectors • Enhancement of directional “contrast” • Motion “mach bands” Actual Perceived
Perceptual organization: Structure from motion • Motion perception not used just to assess stimulus movement • Can define “objects” • Laws of organization • Common fate • Things that move together belong to same object • A camouflaged animal is difficult to see until it moves • Not just knowledge based • Can see novel objects
Structure from motion: Kinetic depth • Can define depth • What motion cues define depth? • Parallax • Differing dot velocity • Track single dot • See velocity change • Infer depth from motion
Kinetic depth: Shadow motion • Moving shadows are also strong cue for depth change • Heuristic • Ambiguous info • Shadow might reflect light source movement • Assume light source is constant • Sun doesn’t move that fast
Experience and motion perception: Biological motion • Dot walkers • We each have our own motion signature • Recognition by motion • Experience influences motion perception
Motion from structure • Not only can motion induce shape perception • Shape can induce motion perception • Top-down influences • FFA/IT —> MT
Motion from structure • Not only can motion induce shape perception • Shape can induce motion perception • Top-down influences • FFA/IT —> MT
V1: Simple motion detectors • Directionally selective • E.g., right ward and up • Small receptive fields • Local not global motion • Thus, respond to components of a plaid, not perceived direction • Higher level info must override V1 simple motion
Designing a directionally selective V1 neuron • Temporal component • Built in delays • Neuron to neuron communication takes time • Timing of inhibition is critical • Results in neuron liking right to left motion • Not left to right Delayed inhibition
The brain’s motion eye: Area MT (V5) • Middle temporal area (MT) • Dorsal stream • 90% of cells are directionally selective • Organized in directional columns • Like V1 orientation or IT shape columns • Stimulation of column increases directional motion perception • 100 times larger than V1 RFs • Wide view of world • Good for composite motion Human MT
MT motion processing:Random dot stimuli • How do we know MT supports motion perception? • 0%, 30%, and 100% coherence • Use to determine monkey/human detection of directional motion
Psychophysical and neural motion response profiles • Neurons response relate to perceptual experience of motion? • MT neuron firing rate parallels perception Neuron and observer motion detection Random dots
Stimulation of MT and motion • Neurons response correlated with perceptual experience of motion • Causally related? • Stimulation of MT increases propensity to perceive motion in certain direction Proportion seen right directed motion Right Left
After MT: Increasing complexity/specificity • Medial superior temporal (MST) • More specific patterns • Expansion/ contraction • Superior temporal sulcus (STS) • Biological motion • Higherarchical organization and sepcificity coding extends to motion Neuron 1 Neuron 2
Keeping the world still • Given examples of motion w/out retinal change • E.g., motion after effects • What about retinal change w/out motion? • Eyes constantly make small fast movements • Remember: World fades without these movements • Why doesn’t world appear to shake? • Would get pretty nauseating • Vision needs to “correct” for eye movements • How does it do it?
Corollary discharge theory • Integration of retinal stimulation and eye movements • Use motor signals to stabilize vision • Head movement • Eye movement • How about movement without motor signal? • (keep one eye closed) Push your open eye. Gently please! • World moves!
Corollary discharge theory • 3 signals • Motor (MS) • Image movement (IMS) • Corollary discharge (CDS) • Comparator (c) • Eye (IMS) and motor signals (MS) need to be compared • CDS is a copy of motor signal • CDS and IMS cancel each other • When both are present no signal sent to visual cortex • —> No perception of motion Motor cortex Visual cortex MS C CDS IMS Eye
Corollary discharge theory • Anytime CDS and IMS don’t co-occur —> perceive motion • IMS alone —> perceive motion • Veridical movement • Eyes still, stimulus moves • Illusory movement • Pushing your eye • Move image on retina w/out MS/CDS • This theory makes interesting predictions • CDS alone should also result in motion
CDS: Moving after images! • CDS without IMS • Doesn’t often happen • No canceling of IMS and CDS • Should result in motion perception • After images • No IMS • Fatigued photoreceptors result in stationary “stimulus” • MS/CDS without IMS • After images move
CDS alone results in motion perception • Track a flying bird • No IMS, stabilized on retina • MS/CDS without IMS • CDS activates motion perception in cortex • Paralyze eye muscles • Can send MS but no eye movement • MS/CDS without IMS • Stationary events appear to move
“Real movement” neurons • Higher order cortical neurons (e.g. V3) • Bar moves through RF • Move bar • Move eyes • Retinal stimulation held constant • Respond most when not moving eyes Real movement neuron