Figure Texture Structures Perception

Abstract

In previous work, we investigated the role of texture in determining perception of induced movement. Perturbation of induced movement wasused as an index to quantify the organizational structure of simple geometric figures. The present work extends these findings. Subjects were presented with a sequence of views such that the azimuth changed every 80 msec. The percept was one of apparent smooth rotation of the figure in depth. By interposing a brief alternation in the regular sequence of azimuths, a perturbation or “jerk” occurred as the figure rotated. The duration of this interposed view was used to reflect differences in the texturing and complexity of the test figure–a cube. We found that texture level and interposition duration were monotonically related. We also found that, for minimal textures, figure complexity bore a monotonic relationship to interposition duration. These findings impact visual displays because they demonstrate the necessity to carefully weigh the merits of texture vs object complexity if the display is intended to generate high rates of object motion.