Effects of Motion on the Perception of Static Features in a Display

Abstract

Displays that use motion typically contain both dynamic and static features. We hypothesized that, relative to a no motion condition, representational momentum (the forward displacement of the representation of a moving object) might influence the perception of static distance between two objects when the objects had just moved away from each other or just moved toward each other. Two experiments tested the hypothesis by manipulating the end distances between two moving dots and the type of motion (Motion Away, Motion Towards, No Motion). In Experiment 1, the distance that the dots moved was the same for all six end distances, whereas in Experiment 2, the distance moved was proportional to the end distance. Participants estimated the distance at the end of the motion on every trial. The results of both experiments showed that the Motion Away produced greater estimates of distance than the other conditions. This effect was most pronounced at the longest end distances in Experiment 2. The results suggest designers should be cautious in using motion in displays for tasks that involve estimates of static distance.

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