Linton stereo illusion

Paul Linton

doi:10.47691/joi.v6.11219

Paul Linton NOMIS Foundation Fellow, Italian Academy for Advanced Studies, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; Presidential Scholar in Society and Neuroscience, Center for Science and Society, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA; and Visual Inference Lab, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47691/joi.v6.11219

Keywords: Stereo vision, stereopsis, motion in depth, triangulation, depth constancy, vergence, cue integration

Abstract

We present a new illusion that challenges our understanding of stereo vision. The illusion consists of a larger circle at 50 cm, and smaller circle in front of it at 40 cm, with constant angular sizes throughout. We move the larger circle forward by 10 cm (to 40 cm) and then back again (to 50 cm). The question is, what distance should we move the smaller circle forward and backward to maintain a constant perceived separation in depth between the circles? Constant physical distance (10 cm) or constant retinal disparity (6.7 cm)? Observers choose constant retinal disparity. The ‘Linton Stereo Illusion’ therefore appears to suggest that perceived stereo depth reflects retinal disparities rather than 3D geometry.

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