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| Volume 9, Number 2, Article 1, Pages 1-8 |
doi:10.1167/9.2.1 |
http://journalofvision.org/9/2/1/ |
ISSN 1534-7362 |
A reevaluation of the tolerance to vertical misalignment in stereopsis
Kazuho Fukuda |
Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada |
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Laurie M. Wilcox |
Department of Psychology, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada |
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Robert S. Allison |
Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada |
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Ian P. Howard |
Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada |
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Abstract
The stereoscopic system tolerates some vertical misalignment of the images in the eyes. However, the reported tolerance for an isolated line stimulus (∼4°) is greater than for a random-dot stereogram (RDS, ∼45 arcmin). We hypothesized that the greater tolerance can be attributed to monoptic depth signals (E. Hering, 1861; M. Kaye, 1978; L. M. Wilcox, J. M. Harris, & S. P. McKee, 2007). We manipulated the vertical misalignment of a pair of isolated stereoscopic dots to assess the contribution of each depth signal separately. For the monoptic stimuli, where only one half-image was present, equivalent horizontal and vertical offsets were imposed instead of disparity. Judgments of apparent depth were well above chance, though there was no conventional disparity signal. For the stereoscopic stimuli, one element was positioned at the midline where monoptic depth perception falls to chance but conventional disparity remains. Subjects lost the depth percept at a vertical misalignment of between 44 and 88 arcmin, which is much smaller than the limit found when both signals were provided. This tolerance for isolated stimuli is comparable to the reported tolerance for RDS. We conclude that previous reports of the greater tolerance to vertical misalignment for isolated stimuli arose from the use of monoptic depth signals.
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