Motion and position coding

Motion contained within a static object can cause illusory position shifts toward the direction of internal motion. Here we present data suggesting this illusion is driven by modulations of apparent contrast. We observe position shifts at blurred stimulus regions without corresponding changes to internal structure, and find that low-contrast targets are more difficult to detect at the trailing, as opposed to leading, edges of movement. Motion induced position shifts are also shown to occur without conscious appreciation of motion direction. Our data suggests that motion can influence spatial coding via interactions that modulate apparent contrast, thereby changing the regions of the stimulus that are visible.