Low-level visual processing of biological motion

Mather, G.; Radford, K.; West, S.

Abstract

Biological motion displays depict a moving human figure by means of just a few isolated points of light attached to to the major joints of the body. Naive observers readily interpret the moving pattern of dots as representing a human figure, despite the complete absence of form cues. This paper reports a series of experiments which investigated the visual processes underlying the phenomenon. Results suggest that (i) the effect relies upon responses in low-level motion-detecting processes, which operate over short temporal and spatial intervals and respond to local modulations in image intensity; and (ii) the effect does not involve hierarchical visual analysis of motion components, nor does it require the presence of dots which move in rigid relation to each other. Instead, movements of the extremities are crucial. Data are inconsistent with current theoretical treatments.

Citation

Mather, G., Radford, K., & West, S. (1992). Low-level visual processing of biological motion. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 249(1325), 149-155. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1992.0097

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 27, 1992
• Publication Date: Aug 22, 1992
• Deposit Date: Sep 29, 2022
• Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Print ISSN: 0962-8452
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-2954
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 249
• Issue: 1325
• Pages: 149-155
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1992.0097
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4085559