Motion transparency arises from perceptual grouping: Evidence from luminance and contrast modulation motion displays

What circumstance lead to the perception of global motion transparency? It has been shown that, in paired random dot displays, motion transparency can be abolished if the separation of the dot pairs is sufficiently small [1]. Motion transparency has also been shown to be influenced by high level cognitive cues [2]. Here, we report that the combination of two moving dot stimuli, which separately invoke a percept of transparent motion, gives rise to a non-transparent percept of local rotation. These stimuli were constructed using various different pattern elements, including luminance defined elements and contrast modulations. The results extend and support the view that high-level grouping of local measures of the velocity field can determine whether a motion transparency is perceived or not. (C) Current Biology Ltd ISSN 0960-9822