Direction of motion influences perceptual identification of ambiguous figures

It is known that the perceived identity of an ambiguous figure can influence how that figure is perceived to move. In 6 experiments, the converse effect - the role of motion in the perceptual identification of ambiguous figures (e.g., N. Tinbergen's, 1951, goose-hawk) - was examined. In general, observers were biased to identify a moving ambiguous figure as that object whose face pointed in the direction of motion. Experiments 1-4 replicated this basic effect over induced, apparent, and smooth motion displays. Results from Experiment 5 show that longer interstimulus intervals led to smaller biases, with all bias disappearing around 1,500 ms. In Experiment 6, direction of motion influenced perceptual identification even in the presence of conflicting shape information.