If you watch it move, you'll recognize it in 3D: Transfer of depth cues between encoding and retrieval

• An object's depth structure and not specific depth cues are represented in memory.
• Depth from motion (encoding) transfers to depth from binocular disparity (retrieval).
• Motion and binocular disparity caused the same depth effects as either alone.

Viewing objects with stereoscopic displays provides additional depth cues through binocular disparity supporting object recognition. So far, it was unknown whether this results from the representation of specific stereoscopic information in memory or a more general representation of an object's depth structure. Therefore, we investigated whether continuous object rotation acting as depth cue during encoding results in a memory representation that can subsequently be accessed by stereoscopic information during retrieval. In Experiment 1, we found such transfer effects from continuous object rotation during encoding to stereoscopic presentations during retrieval. In Experiments 2a and 2b, we found that the continuity of object rotation is important because only continuous rotation and/or stereoscopic depth but not multiple static snapshots presented without stereoscopic information caused the extraction of an object's depth structure into memory. We conclude that an object's depth structure and not specific depth cues are represented in memory.