Depth Perception

● Depth is the distance from a surface, usually using your own

body as a reference surface when speaking in terms of depth
perception.

● This use of depth information extends beyond the range of your

body’s reach
Impossible figures
 Depth Cues
Monocular Binocular
● Can be represented in just two ● Based on the receipt of sensory
dimensions information in three dimensions
● Can be observed with just one eye ● Can be observed with both eyes
● Cues include ● Cues include
– Binocular convergence
– Texture gradients
– Binocular disparity
– Relative size
– Interposition

– Accomodation

– linear perspective

– Aerial perspective

– Motion parallax.
 Monocular cues
Monocular cues provide depth information
when viewing a scene with one eye.
 Texture gradient
● Texture gradient refers to the level
of detail that you can see in an
image. The closer an image is to
you, the more detail you will see.
● But if it is too close, then that
detail will start to become distorted
or blurry. Likewise, the further
away an image is, the less detail
you will see it in.
 Relative Size
● If two objects are known to be the
same size (e.g., two trees) but their
absolute size is unknown, relative
size cues can provide information
about the relative depth of the two
objects.
 Interposition (Occultation)
● Interposition occurs when one
object is blocked by another.
● For example, a card placed in
front of another card gives the
appearance of the other card
being behind it.
● The overlap creates the
impression that one card is on
top.
 Accomodation
● This is an oculomotor cue for depth perception. When we try to
focus on far away objects, the ciliary muscles stretch the eye
lens, making it thinner, and hence changing the focal length.
● The kinesthetic sensations of the contracting and relaxing
ciliary muscles (intraocular muscles) is sent to the visual cortex
where it is used for interpreting distance/depth.
● Accommodation is only effective for distances less than 2
meters
 Linear perspective
● Linear perspective
describes the tendency of
parallel lines to appear to
converge at the horizon.
● The perception of depth in
this image is created by
the convergence of parallel
lines into the horizon.
 Aerial Perspective
● Aerial perspective is a monocular cue
of depth perception, where objects
which are further away appear lighter
and less detailed.

● Due to light scattering by the

atmosphere, objects that are a great
distance away have lower luminance
contrast and lower color saturation.
Due to this, images seem hazy the
farther they are away from a person's
point of view.
 Shadows
● Shadows are differences in
the illumination of an image,
and help us to see 3D
objects by the shadows
they cast.
● If something is 3D, it will
cast a shadow, if it is 2D, it
won’t.
 Motion parallax
● Motion Parallax is a visual depth cue, where objects moving
close-by are perceived as moving faster than objects which are
further away.
● A good example of motion parallax occurs when driving. If you
see a lamp-post in front of you it appears to approach slowly,
but just as you are passing it, the lamp-post seems to flash by
quickly in front of you.
● If you were to then look back behind you, the lamp-post would
appear to be slowly moving away from you until eventually it
looked stationary.
 Binocular cues
● Binocular vision is vision with two eyes

● Binocular cues are those cues which allows perception of depth

while we use our two eyes.
 Retinal disparity (Stereopsis)
● Since the pupils of the eyes are
roughly about three inches apart,
this means that the right eye
gives a slightly different image to
that of the left eye.
● The disparity (difference)
between these two retinal images
(retinal disparity) can be used as
a cue for depth/distance.
● Each eye captures a slightly different image, and the difference between
these images acts as a cue for depth/distance.
● Retinal disparity also provides another example of how the world of
sensation differs from that of perception. For at the level of sensation (i.e
seeing through your eyes) we actually sense two images. However, at the
level of perception (inside your head) we only perceive one image.
● This ability of the brain to merge two images together is sometimes called
the “zipper effect”, and it is partly as a result of retinal disparity that the
images we see appear to be in 3D.
 Convergence
Because of stereopsis the two eyeballs focus on the same object. In
doing so they converge. The convergence will stretch the extraocular
muscles.
● As happens with the monocular accommodation cue, kinesthetic
sensations from these extraocular muscles also help in depth/distance
perception.
● The angle of convergence is smaller when the eye is fixating on far
away objects. Convergence is effective for distances less than 10
meters.