The integration of disparity, shading and motion parallax cues for depth perception in humans and monkeys

A visual stimulus display was created that enabled us to examine how effectively the three depth cues of disparity, motion parallax and shading can be integrated in humans and monkeys. The display was designed to allow us to present these three depth cues separately and in various combinations. Depth was processed most effectively and most rapidly when all three cues were presented together indicating that these separate cues are integrated at yet unknown sites in the brain. Testing in humans and monkeys yielded similar results suggesting that monkeys are a good animal model for the study of the underlying neural mechanisms of depth perception.

Research Highlights► Interactions among three depth cues were examined: disparity, motion parallax and shading. ► The cues were presented singly and in various combinations. ► Data were collected from both humans and monkeys using psychophysical procedures. ► Performance was better and faster with all three cues than when presented singly. ► When two cues were provided, performance and response latencies were intermediate.