Name: Jamal Ahmad, Muqaddas Saba, Farwa Awan

Reg #: BSP201016, BSP201002, BSP201028

Group No: (4)
Date: 22-April-2020
Course: Intro to Psychology
Section: (1)
Assignment No: (4)
Description: Depth Perception

Submitted to: Dr. Ishrat Yousaf

Capital University of Science & Technology

 Depth Perception
QUESTION
How are we able to perceive the world in three dimensions when our retinas
are capable of sensing only two-dimensional images?

ANSWER
Depth Perception:
Depth perception is the ability to perceive distance and view the world in three
dimensions even though the images projected on our retinas are two-dimensional. We are able to judge depth
and distance as a result of binocular disparity and monocular cues, such as motion. As sophisticated as the retina
is, the images projected onto it are it at and two dimensional. Yet the world around us is three-dimensional, and
we perceive it that way.

How do we make the transformation from 2-D to 3-D? The ability to view the world in three
dimensions and to perceive distance-a skill known as depth perception- is due largely to the fact that we have
two eyes. Because there is a certain distance between the eyes, a slightly different image reaches each retina.
The brain integrates the two images into one view, but it also recognizes the difference in images uses this
difference to estimate the distance of an object from us. The difference in the images seen by the left eye and the
right eye is known as binocular disparity (Hibbard, 2007; Kara & Boyd, 2009). To get a sense of binocular
disparity, hold a pencil at arm’s length and look at it first with one eye and then with the other. There is little
difference between the two views relative to the background. Now bring the pencil just 6 inches away from your
face and try the same thing. This time you will perceive a greater difference between the two views.

The fact that the discrepancy between the images in the two eyes varies according to the
distance of objects that we view provides us with a means of determining distance. If we view two objects and
one is considerably closer to us than the other is, the retinal disparity will be relatively large, and we will have a
greater sense of depth between the two. However, if the two objects are a similar distance from us, the retinal
disparity will minor, and we will perceive them as being a similar distance from us. IN some cases, certain cues
permit us to obtain a sense of depth and distance with just one eye. These cues are known as monocular cues.

Approaches to Depth Perception

There are seven approaches to depth perception.

1. Linear Perspective:
Linear perspective is a monocular depth cue that results as parallel lines come
together, or converge, in the distance.
2. Relative Size:
Relative size is a monocular cue for depth that results when we expect two objects to
be the same and they are not. In that case, the larger of the two objects will appear closer and the smaller
will appear farther away.
3. Interposition:
Interposition is a monocular cue for depth perception that comes into play when objects
overlap. The overlapping object appears closer, and the object that is overlapped appears farther away.
4. Light and Shadow:
Light and shadow make up monocular cues for depth perception: Brightly lit
objects appear closer, while objects in shadows appear farther away.
5. Texture Gradient:
Texture gradient is a monocular depth cue in which areas with sharp, detailed
texture are interpreted as being closer and those with less sharpness and poorer detail are perceived as
more distant.
6. Atmospheric Perspective:
Atmospheric perspective is a monocular depth cue that is created by the
presence of dust, smog, clouds, or water vapor. We perceive clearer objects as being nearer, and we
perceive hazy or cloudy objects as being farther away.
7. Motion Parallax:
 Motion parallax is monocular depth cue based on the speed of moving objects. We
perceive objects that appear to be moving at high speed as closer to us than those moving more slowly
appearing stationary.

Perceptual Constancy:
Despite the very real change in the size of the retinal image, because of
perceptual constancy you factor into your thinking the knowledge that your friend is moving farther away from
you. Perceptual constancy is a phenomenon in which physical objects are perceived as unvarying and consistent
despite changes in their appearance or in the physical environment. Perceptual constancy leads us to view
objects as having an unvarying size, shape, color, and brightness, even if the image on our retina varies.

Example:
Despite the varying images on the retina as an airplane approaches, flies overhead, and disappears,
we do not perceive the airplane as changing shape (Garrigan & Kellman, 2008; Redding, 2002; Wickelgren, 2004).

Motion Perception:
The movement of an object across the retina is typically perceived relative to some
stable, unmoving background. Moreover, if the stimulus is heading toward us, the image on the retina expands in
size, filling more and more of the visual field. In such cases, we assume that the stimulus is approaching – not that
it is an expanding stimulus viewed at a constant distance. This is the factor of Motion perception. Motion
perception depends on cues such as the perceived movement of an object across the retina and information
about how the head and eyes are moving.