Abstract
Previous research has shown that form cues can affect how first-order (FO) motion signals are pooled. We investigated whether form cues can also affect the pooling of second-order (SO) signals. Global-Gabor stimuli (JoV, 2009, 9, 1-25) were used. These consist of multiple Gabors that define a global-motion vector by having their carriers all move in a manner that is consistent with a single Intersection-of-Constraints (IOC) defined solution. It has been shown that FO stimuli are pooled in this manner. Form cues were introduced by adding orientation information to the apertures that were either consistent (aligned with) or inconsistent (orthogonal to) with the global-solution. With FO stimuli, inconsistent form cues resulted in the loss of the IOC solution, with observers instead perceiving motion along the axis defined by the orientation cue. No such effect was observed for the SO stimuli. These results will be discussed in light of a related study (see companion abstract; this meeting) that has shown form cues affect the pooling of 1-dimensional motion signals (i.e. signals for which the aperture problem hasn't been solved) but they do not affect the pooling of 2-dimensional signals (signals for which the aperture problem has been solved).
Australian Research Council through the ARC Centre of Excellence for Visual Science #CE0561903.