Cues & Examples | What is Depth Perception? - Study.com

Depth perception is defined as the ability for someone to see in 3 dimensions, and then judge how far away objects are. forTeachers forSchools forWorkingScholars® forCollegeCredit LogIn SignUp Menu Plans Plans Courses Courses AcademicCourses BusinessCourses EnglishCourses HistoryCourses HumanitiesCourses MathCourses PsychologyCourses ScienceCourses SocialScienceCourses SpanishCourses AllCourses CollegeandProfessionalCourses CollegeCredit TransferCredit ProfessionalDevelopment Exploreover 4,600 videocourses BrowseAllCourses AcademicCourses CollegeandProfessionalCourses ByGrade ByGrade ElementarySchoolCourses MiddleSchoolCourses HighSchoolCourses CollegeCourses TransferCreditsCourses GraduateandPost-GradCourses AdultEducationCourses TestPrep TestPrep TeacherCertification TeacherCertification CollegeCreditandGraduateTests CollegeCreditandGraduateTests Nursing Nursing RealEstate RealEstate AllTestPreparationCourses PRAXIS TExES CSET/CBEST FTCE GACE AllTeacherCertificationTestPrepCourses CLEP DSST AP GRE HESI TEAS NCLEX RealEstateLicenses RealEstateSales RealEstateBrokers RealEstateAppraisal Teach Teach Curriculum TeachingResources LessonPlans TeacherCertification TeacherProfessionalDevelopment Tutoring Tutoring MathTutoring MathTutoring ScienceTutoring ScienceTutoring BusinessTutoring BusinessTutoring HumanitiesTutoring HumanitiesTutoring AlgebraTutoring CalculusTutoring GeometryTutoring Pre-calculusTutoring StatisticsTutoring TrigonometryTutoring AllMathTutoring BiologyTutoring ChemistryTutoring PhysicsTutoring AllScienceTutoring AccountingTutoring EconomicsTutoring FinanceTutoring AllBusinessTutoring HistoryTutoring LiteratureTutoring WritingTutoring AllHumanitiesTutoring SignUp AcademicCourses BusinessCourses EnglishCourses HistoryCourses HumanitiesCourses MathCourses PsychologyCourses ScienceCourses SocialScienceCourses SpanishCourses AllCourses CollegeandProfessionalCourses CollegeCredit TransferCredit ProfessionalDevelopment TeacherCertification PRAXIS TExES CSET/CBEST FTCE GACE AllTeacherCertificationTestPrepCourses CollegeReadiness CLEP DSST AP GRE Nursing HESI TEAS NCLEX RealEstate RealEstateLicenses RealEstateSales RealEstateBrokers RealEstateAppraisal MathTutoring AlgebraTutoring CalculusTutoring GeometryTutoring Pre-calculusTutoring StatisticsTutoring TrigonometryTutoring AllMathTutoring ScienceTutoring BiologyTutoring ChemistryTutoring PhysicsTutoring AllScienceTutoring BusinessTutoring AccountingTutoring EconomicsTutoring FinanceTutoring AllBusinessTutoring HumanitiesTutoring HistoryTutoring LiteratureTutoring WritingTutoring AllHumanitiesTutoring Copyright Lesson Transcript LesaSteen,StephanieThomas Author LesaSteen Instructor StephanieThomas Whatisdepthperception?Learnthedefinitionofdepthperception,seeexamples,anddiscovermonoculardepthcuesanddepthperceptionissues. Updated:08/26/2021 TableofContentsWhatisDepthPerception?HowisDepthPerceptionCreated?EvolutionofDepthPerceptionPoorDepthPerceptionLessonSummaryShow Createanaccount WhatisDepthPerception?Depthperceptionisdefinedastheabilityforsomeonetoseein3dimensions,andthenjudgehowfarawayobjectsare.Threedimensionsmeansseeingthingsinbothlength,width,anddepth.Depthperceptioniskeytosafetyandsurvivalbecauseitallowspeopletobeabletojudgehowfarawaydangerousobjectsare,pickupfood,orevennottripintoaravinewhilewalkingnearit.Itinvolvesmorethansimplybeingabletoseetheworldaroundyou;italsoconsistsofourbrainsprocessingthethingsthatwesee.Ashumans,wehavetwoeyes.Thesetwoeyesbothseeaslightlydifferentangleandviewaroundus.Thesetwoviewsarecompiledintoonewithinthebrain.Thiseffectiscalledstereopsis,anditgivesusdepthperception.So,whatisdepthperceptioninreality?Itinvolvesseeingthingsin3dimensionswiththeeyes.Thebrainthencompilesthetwoviewsthatthepairofeyeshavetakenin.Finally,theimageweactuallyseehasdepthtoitandgivesustheproperperceptionsothatwecanmovearoundourworldwithease. Anerroroccurredtryingtoloadthisvideo. Tryrefreshingthepage,orcontactcustomersupport. YoumustcCreateanaccounttocontinue watching Registertoviewthislesson Areyouastudentorateacher? Iamastudent Iamateacher CreateYourAccountToContinueWatching Asamember,you'llalsogetunlimitedaccesstoover84,000 lessonsinmath,English,science,history,andmore.Plus,getpracticetests,quizzes,andpersonalizedcoachingtohelpyou succeed. Getunlimitedaccesstoover84,000lessons. Tryitnow Itonlytakesafewminutestosetupandyoucancancelanytime. Alreadyregistered?Loginherefor access  Back WhatteachersaresayingaboutStudy.com Tryitnow Alreadyregistered? Loginhereforaccess Comingupnext: ExtrasensoryPerception:Definition,Types&Examples You'reonaroll.Keepupthegoodwork! TakeQuiz Watch NextLesson  Replay Justcheckingin.Areyoustillwatching? Yes!Keepplaying. Yournextlessonwillplayin 10seconds 0:00DepthPerception 1:11BinocularandMonocular 1:38MonocularDepthCues 3:39BinocularDepthCues 5:21LessonSummary Save Save Save Wanttowatchthisagainlater? LoginorsignuptoaddthislessontoaCustomCourse. LoginorSignup Timeline Autoplay Autoplay Speed Speed 57Kviews Video Quiz Course 57K views HowisDepthPerceptionCreated?Depthperceptioniscreatedwhentheeyesandthebrainworktogetherinanefforttoperceivethedepth,orthelength,width,andheight,oftheworldaroundus.Humanshavetwoeyes.Havingtwoeyestoseethroughiscalledbinocularvision.Binocularvisionhelpstocreateastrongersenseofdepthperceptionthanmonocularvisionorhavingoneeye.Thisisbecausethebraincangetaviewfromtwodifferentangles,thusseeingthesameobjectorroomfromaslightlydifferentlength,width,andheight,throughbotheyes.Whentheimagesarecompiledwithinthebrainandoneimageisproducedforustocomprehendor'see'thenwecanperceivedepth.Whenlookingatasmallobject,humanshavetheabilitytoturnbothoftheireyesinslightly.Thiseffectiscalledconvergenceanditallowsforacloserlookatsmallobjects,whichallowsthebraintobetterperceivethelength,width,andheightoftheobjectwithinspace.Depthperceptionexamplesinclude: Knowinghowclosesomeoneiswhentheyarewalkingtowardus. Havingapencilandamugonthedeskandbeingabletotellwhichoneiscloser. Seeingadogrunningawayandknowinghowfarawayitis. Seeingadogrunningandknowinghowcloseitis. BinocularandMonocularDepthCuesThereareavarietyofvisualcuestohelpapersondeterminethedepthoftheworldaroundthemandhavespecialawarenessbothinthemonocularandbinocularsense.Binoculardepthcuesareallofthewaysthatbotheyescanhelptoperceivetheworldaroundus.Monoculardepthcuesareallthewaysthatjustoneeyecanseetheworldaroundusandhelpustoperceiveit.Thereareafewimportanttermstoknowwhendiscussingdepthcues.Binoculardepthcuesinclude: Retinaldisparitywhichistheslightlydifferentimagesaperson'stwoeyessendtothebrain. Fusioniswherethebraincombinestwodifferentimagestomakeitintoone. Monoculardepthcuesinclude: Shadowstereopsisreferstotheperceptionsofareasthatareintheshadowsandhowtheyareperceivedbypeoplewithnormalbinocularvision.Theseareasareperceiveddifferentlybytheeyesbecausetheydonothavedefinedoutlines,butinsteadhavegradients. Relativesizeofanobjectreferstothesizethattheobjectlooks.Objectsthatarefartherawaylooksmallertotheeye,whileobjectsthatarecloseruplooklarger. Texturegradientisanexampleoflinearperspective.Objectsthatarefartherawayorextendfarterawayfromussuchasacornfieldwillappeartohaveafiner,smoothertexturethefartheroutitis.Thetexturewillbemoredefinedwithclose-upobjects. Interpositionistheperceptionthatoneobjectiscoveringanotherobjectbecauseitisinfrontofit.Itisapositioncue. Motionparallaxreferstoobjectsthatappeartomovefasteriftheyareclosertoaperson,andobjectsappearingtomovesloweriftheyarefartherawayfromaperson.Thisisduetotheperceiveddistancethattheobjectistraveling. EvolutionofDepthPerceptionHumanshavegooddepthperceptionbecausetheireyesareclosetogetherandfaceinfrontofthem.Thisallowsthevisionthattheyseethroughbinoculareyestooverlap.Whenthevisionoverlapsitimprovesthebrain'sabilitytoperceivedepth.Manyanimalssuchaschickens,fish,andhorseshaveeyesonthesidesoftheirheads,thisgivesthemagoodpanoramicviewoftheworld,butitdoesnotgivethemverygooddepthperception.Sincetheireyeshavetwodifferentviewsoftheworld,andtheimagesdonotoverlap,thebrainisonlyprocessingeacheyeaccordingtomonoculardepthcues,orone-eyedepth. Donkeysandchickenshavelessdepthperceptionthancatsordogs. ManyofthesediscoverieswerenotedfirstbyCharlesWheatstoneintheVictorianera.Heinventedthestereoscopeinthe1830swhichallowedforthestudyofbinocularvisiontobegin.Wheatstoneworkedwithretinaldisparitiestotestthelimitsofthebraintoseehowdifferenttheimagesseenthrougheacheyewere.Healsodidexperimentschangingwhateacheyesawusingthestereoscopetodetermineifthebraincouldprocesstheimagesseparatelyortogether.Heconcludedthatapersonwasabletoviewthedifferentimageseasily.TherearemultipletheoriesondepthperceptionwhichincludetheLawofNewton-Muller-Gudden,andtheEye-ForelimbEFHypothesiswhichwillbediscussedwithinthislesson. TheLawofNewton-Muller-GuddenIsaacNewtonfirsttheorizedthatthesideofthebodytheeyeisonsendssignalstothecorrespondingsideofthebrain,specificallytherightandlefthemispheres.Therighteyewouldsendsignalstotherighthemisphere.Thelefteyewouldsendsignalstothelefthemisphere.TheLawofNewton-Muller-Guddeninvolvesthescientificprinciplesthatshowhowthestructureofthebrain,eyes,andnervesareinterconnected.TheLawofNewton-Muller-Guddenstatesthat"theretinohypothalamicnerve,aneuralinputpathway,obeystheprinciplethatthedegreeofopticfiberdecussationintheeyecavityisinverselyrelatedtothefront-facingportionoftheopticalaxesoftheeyes."Thetermdecussationmeansthatwhatisseenifthereisaflawinthefibersononesideoftheeyewillhaveaneffectontheothersideofthebody.ThisLawhasbeendisputedasrecentlyas2016byavarietyofscientistswhohavestudied23speciestypesfrom11differentorderstodiscoverthattheoppositecouldbetrue.Thistheoryisheavilydebatedinocularscience.TheEye-ForelimbEFHypothesisAnothertheoryondepthperceptionistheEye-ForelimbEFHypothesis,whichsuggeststhatthedevelopmentofdepthperceptionandmakeupofvisualstructuresneededfordepthperceptionstemmedfromaneedtobettercontrolforelimbs.E.J.GibsonandR.D.Walkdevelopedanexperimenttotestwhendepthperceptiondevelopsinbabiesandanimals.Theydiscoveredthatitwasdevelopedaroundthetimeababycouldcraw,orwhenababyneedsbettercontrolofhisorherlimbs.Theexperimentwascalledthevisualclifftest.Plexiglasswasplacedoveradrop-off.Thebabieswereplacedononeside,andthecaregiverontheotherside.WalkandGibsonhypothesizedthatifdepthperceptionhadalreadydevelopedthenthebabieswouldbehesitanttocrossovertheplexiglass.Theywereprovencorrect.PoorDepthPerceptionPeopleandotherlivingorganismsexperienceproblemswithpoordepthperception.Someanimals,likepigeons,useheadmovementtocompensateforissuesrelatedtopoordepthperception.Thereisapotentialdangerwhenhumanshavebaddepthperception.Humansaresupposedtohavegooddepthperceptiontonavigatetheworldaroundthem.Poordepthperceptioncancauseproblemswhendriving,working,orjustwalkingaroundtheworld.TestingDepthPerceptionOnewaytotestdepthperceptionistoputaphotoofagolfballonyourwallabout6inchesinfrontofyoureyes.Then,usingyourfinger,hoveritinfrontofthegolfball.Then,focusonthegolfballandyouwillseetheballclearly,butyouwillalsoseetwoslightlyblurryimagesofyourfingeroneithersideofthetennisball.Afteryouarefinished,thenfocusonyourfinger,andtheballshouldappeartobecutinhalf. Golfballfortestingdepthperception. DisordersandCausesThereareseveraldisordersthatcancauseapersontohavedepthperceptionissues,andtheseinclude: Strabismus:botheyesdonotlineupinthesamedirection,alsoknownascross-eyed. Amblyopia:alazyeye Thesedisorderscausepoordepthperceptionbecausetheychangetheviewthatiscomingfromoneorbotheyes.Whentheviewisnotoverlappingcorrectly,togivethebraintwosimilarimagesthatitcanprocess,thentheresultingimagethepersoncomprehendswilllackdepthperception.Blindnessinoneeyeorthelossofaneyecanalsocreatepoordepthperceptionbecauseitleavesapersontorelyonlyonmonoculardepthcues.Thoughthereisnocureforblindness,therearesomecommontreatmentsforthedisorderslistedabove.Forstrabismus,thetreatmentsincludeoneofthefollowing: Eyeglasses Visiontherapy Musclesurgery ForAmblyopia,thetreatmentincludesaneyepatchovertheafflictedeyeuntilitiscorrected.LessonSummaryInsummary,depthperceptioniscreatedbythebrainworkingcloselywiththeeyes.Therearetwodifferenttypesofdepthperceptioncueswhichinclude: Binoculardepthperceptioncues Monoculardepthperceptioncues Depthperceptionhasbeenstudiedformanyyears,andtestsfordepthperceptionwereusedasofthe1930swhenthestereoscopewasinvented.Depthperceptionoccursinbabiesaroundthetimetheylearntocrawl,asithelpsbabiestoperceivetheirenvironment.Poordepthperceptioncanbecausedbyafewdisorderswhichincludealazyeyeandissueswithcrossedeyes.Someoftheseissuescanbecorrectedwiththeappropriatetherapies. Weliveina3-dimensionalworld,buteachofoureyesisonlycapableofcapturinga2-dimensionalimage.Getupforasecond,movearound;seehowyouknowwhentoavoidachairortheedgeofatable?That'sbecauseyoucantellhowfarawayobjectsarefromyou.Thisisincrediblyimportantinsomanyways.Wedon'tspendourlivesbruisedfromrunningintofurniture.We'reabletodrive,judgingwhereothercarsareintheroadandknowinghowfastwecango.Thinkofwhenyou'vemisjudgedthefinalsteponaflightofstairs--youassumeditwashigherorlowerthanitreallywas.Imagineifthishappenedallthetime;that'saworldwithoutdepthperception.Depthperceptionissoimportantthatitmaybehard-wiredintoourbrains.Attheveryleast,it'ssomethingwepickupveryearly.InGibsonandWalk'sfamousvisualcliffexperiment,infantsasyoungassixmonthsoldperceivedaPlexiglas-covereddrop-offandapproacheditnervously.Mostrefusedtocross.GibsonandWalkconcludedthattheseinfantscouldindeedperceivethatthedropwasthere,andknewitcouldbedangerousforthem.Buthowdoweturnflatimagesinto3-D?Therearetwomainkindsofdepthcues:binocularandmonocular.Thesewordsreallyjustmean'two-eye'and'one-eye';youcanrememberitbecauseyoulookthroughbinocularswithbotheyes,butaproperEnglishgentlemanholdsupamonocletoonlyoneeye.Basically,therearesomecluestodepththatwecanperceivewithjustoneeyeandothersthatweneedbotheyesfor.Let'sstartwithasimpleexample.Takealookatyourdesk;let'ssayyouhaveastapleronit,aswellasafewoldmugs.Ifyoucanseethatthestapleroverlapsinfrontofoneofthemugs,youcouldguess--accurately--thatthestaplerisclosertoyouthanthemug.Thisisamonoculardepthcuecalledinterposition.Haveyoueverlearnedaboutperspectiveinanartclass?Ifyoutrytodrawaroaddisappearingintothedistance,youhavethelinesconvergeastheyreachthehorizon.Nexttimeyou'reoutonalongstretchofroad,takealook:theroadreallydoesseemtoconvergetoapointasitgetsfurtheraway.Thismonoculardepthcueiscalledlinearperspective;inaflat,2-Dimage,thingsthatarefartherawayseemtogetclosertogether.Theyalsoappearphysicallyhigherup;thisisthepositioncue.Acarthat'sfurtherdowntheroadwillappearsmallerthanthesame-sizedcarnearby;thisisknownasrelativesize. Thingsthatarefartherawayappearclosertogetherandhigherup Ifyoustarteddrivingdownthisroad,youmightnoticethatthethingsclosertoyourcarseemtomovealotfasterthanthingsinthedistance.Thisiscalledthemotionparallax,andevenwithoneeyeclosed,itwouldclueyouintohowfarawaythingsare.Someanimalsrelymoreheavilyonthemotionparallaxthanhumans--haveyoueverseenabirdbobbingitsheadaroundasitlooksstraightahead?Thebirdistryingtoachieveitsownmotionparallaxtotellhowfarawayvariousobjectsare. Adistantbarnalsoprobablylooksfuzzierandlessdistinctthananearbyshed.Thisisanothermonoculardepthcueusedbypainterstosuggestthatsomeobjectsarefartherawaythanothers,andit'scalledthetexturegradient.Youcanseethisreallyclearlyinimageslikeafieldofgrass,wherethebladesnearesttothevieweraredistinctbutfadetoawashofgreeninthedistance.Arelatedideaisaerialperspective,inwhichthingsinthedistanceappearfoggierthanthingsnearby.Whilemonoculardepthcueshelpuslearnthingsaboutthe3-Dworldfromaflatimage,binoculardepthcuesareinvolvedinhelpingourbrainsproduceactual3-Dimagesoutofflatsensoryinput.There'sareasonwehavetwoeyesratherthanonegiganticCyclopseye--twoeyesalittlebitapartfromeachothergeneratetwoslightlydifferentimagestosendtothebrain.Thisisknownasretinaldisparity.Thebrainmergesthesetwoslightlydifferentimagestocreateonethatlooks3-dimensional.3-Dmoviesusethisprincipletoachievetheireffect.Youknowhowifyoutakeoffyour3-Dglassesthemovielooksalittlefuzzy?That'sbecausethereareactuallytwoslightlydifferentimagesonthescreenatonce,andtheglassesfiltertheinputsothatoneeyegetsoneimageandoneeyegetstheother.Thenyourbraindoestherestofthework,puttingittogetherintofull3-D.Overshorterdistances,yourbraincantellhowclosethingsarebasedonsignalsitgetsfromyoureyes'muscles.Foranobjectunder50feetaway,yourbraincantellhowmuchyoureyeshavetoconvergetoseeit.Holdupyourfingerinfrontofyourfaceandlookatit;nowbringitcloser.Asitgetsreallyclose,you'lldefinitelyfeelyoureyescrossmoreandmore;itmightevengetuncomfortable.Thisishappeninginalessextremewayallthetime,andyourbraincancalculatetheconvergenceanglebetweentheeyesanduseittofigureouthowfarawaysomethingis.Thebraincanalsotakeadvantageofyoureyes'lensesabilitytochangetheircurvaturewhenfocusingonparticularobjects;itknowshowmuchthey'vechangedandcanusethistojudgedepthoversmall,nearbydistances.Sotosumthingsup,ourbrainshaveallsortsofcoolwaysofmaking3-Dpicturesoutof2-Dinputs.Thisabilityisimportant,andperhapsevenhard-wiredintous,becauseithelpsusfunctioninour3-Dworld.Thebraincanusemonoculardepthcueslikeperspectiveorthemotionparallax,whichrelyoninputfromoneeyeortheother.Itcanalsousebinoculardepthcues,whichdependontheslightlydifferentimagesourdifferently-positionedeyesbringtothebrainandalsoonhowtheyhavetomovetofocusonobjectsatdifferentdistances. 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Createyouraccount VideoTranscript Weliveina3-dimensionalworld,buteachofoureyesisonlycapableofcapturinga2-dimensionalimage.Getupforasecond,movearound;seehowyouknowwhentoavoidachairortheedgeofatable?That'sbecauseyoucantellhowfarawayobjectsarefromyou.Thisisincrediblyimportantinsomanyways.Wedon'tspendourlivesbruisedfromrunningintofurniture.We'reabletodrive,judgingwhereothercarsareintheroadandknowinghowfastwecango.Thinkofwhenyou'vemisjudgedthefinalsteponaflightofstairs--youassumeditwashigherorlowerthanitreallywas.Imagineifthishappenedallthetime;that'saworldwithoutdepthperception.Depthperceptionissoimportantthatitmaybehard-wiredintoourbrains.Attheveryleast,it'ssomethingwepickupveryearly.InGibsonandWalk'sfamousvisualcliffexperiment,infantsasyoungassixmonthsoldperceivedaPlexiglas-covereddrop-offandapproacheditnervously.Mostrefusedtocross.GibsonandWalkconcludedthattheseinfantscouldindeedperceivethatthedropwasthere,andknewitcouldbedangerousforthem.Buthowdoweturnflatimagesinto3-D?Therearetwomainkindsofdepthcues:binocularandmonocular.Thesewordsreallyjustmean'two-eye'and'one-eye';youcanrememberitbecauseyoulookthroughbinocularswithbotheyes,butaproperEnglishgentlemanholdsupamonocletoonlyoneeye.Basically,therearesomecluestodepththatwecanperceivewithjustoneeyeandothersthatweneedbotheyesfor.Let'sstartwithasimpleexample.Takealookatyourdesk;let'ssayyouhaveastapleronit,aswellasafewoldmugs.Ifyoucanseethatthestapleroverlapsinfrontofoneofthemugs,youcouldguess--accurately--thatthestaplerisclosertoyouthanthemug.Thisisamonoculardepthcuecalledinterposition.Haveyoueverlearnedaboutperspectiveinanartclass?Ifyoutrytodrawaroaddisappearingintothedistance,youhavethelinesconvergeastheyreachthehorizon.Nexttimeyou'reoutonalongstretchofroad,takealook:theroadreallydoesseemtoconvergetoapointasitgetsfurtheraway.Thismonoculardepthcueiscalledlinearperspective;inaflat,2-Dimage,thingsthatarefartherawayseemtogetclosertogether.Theyalsoappearphysicallyhigherup;thisisthepositioncue.Acarthat'sfurtherdowntheroadwillappearsmallerthanthesame-sizedcarnearby;thisisknownasrelativesize. Thingsthatarefartherawayappearclosertogetherandhigherup Ifyoustarteddrivingdownthisroad,youmightnoticethatthethingsclosertoyourcarseemtomovealotfasterthanthingsinthedistance.Thisiscalledthemotionparallax,andevenwithoneeyeclosed,itwouldclueyouintohowfarawaythingsare.Someanimalsrelymoreheavilyonthemotionparallaxthanhumans--haveyoueverseenabirdbobbingitsheadaroundasitlooksstraightahead?Thebirdistryingtoachieveitsownmotionparallaxtotellhowfarawayvariousobjectsare. Adistantbarnalsoprobablylooksfuzzierandlessdistinctthananearbyshed.Thisisanothermonoculardepthcueusedbypainterstosuggestthatsomeobjectsarefartherawaythanothers,andit'scalledthetexturegradient.Youcanseethisreallyclearlyinimageslikeafieldofgrass,wherethebladesnearesttothevieweraredistinctbutfadetoawashofgreeninthedistance.Arelatedideaisaerialperspective,inwhichthingsinthedistanceappearfoggierthanthingsnearby.Whilemonoculardepthcueshelpuslearnthingsaboutthe3-Dworldfromaflatimage,binoculardepthcuesareinvolvedinhelpingourbrainsproduceactual3-Dimagesoutofflatsensoryinput.There'sareasonwehavetwoeyesratherthanonegiganticCyclopseye--twoeyesalittlebitapartfromeachothergeneratetwoslightlydifferentimagestosendtothebrain.Thisisknownasretinaldisparity.Thebrainmergesthesetwoslightlydifferentimagestocreateonethatlooks3-dimensional.3-Dmoviesusethisprincipletoachievetheireffect.Youknowhowifyoutakeoffyour3-Dglassesthemovielooksalittlefuzzy?That'sbecausethereareactuallytwoslightlydifferentimagesonthescreenatonce,andtheglassesfiltertheinputsothatoneeyegetsoneimageandoneeyegetstheother.Thenyourbraindoestherestofthework,puttingittogetherintofull3-D.Overshorterdistances,yourbraincantellhowclosethingsarebasedonsignalsitgetsfromyoureyes'muscles.Foranobjectunder50feetaway,yourbraincantellhowmuchyoureyeshavetoconvergetoseeit.Holdupyourfingerinfrontofyourfaceandlookatit;nowbringitcloser.Asitgetsreallyclose,you'lldefinitelyfeelyoureyescrossmoreandmore;itmightevengetuncomfortable.Thisishappeninginalessextremewayallthetime,andyourbraincancalculatetheconvergenceanglebetweentheeyesanduseittofigureouthowfarawaysomethingis.Thebraincanalsotakeadvantageofyoureyes'lensesabilitytochangetheircurvaturewhenfocusingonparticularobjects;itknowshowmuchthey'vechangedandcanusethistojudgedepthoversmall,nearbydistances.Sotosumthingsup,ourbrainshaveallsortsofcoolwaysofmaking3-Dpicturesoutof2-Dinputs.Thisabilityisimportant,andperhapsevenhard-wiredintous,becauseithelpsusfunctioninour3-Dworld.Thebraincanusemonoculardepthcueslikeperspectiveorthemotionparallax,whichrelyoninputfromoneeyeortheother.Itcanalsousebinoculardepthcues,whichdependontheslightlydifferentimagesourdifferently-positionedeyesbringtothebrainandalsoonhowtheyhavetomovetofocusonobjectsatdifferentdistances. TounlockthislessonyoumustbeaStudy.comMember. Createyouraccount FrequentlyAskedQuestions Howdoeyesperceivedepth? Humaneyesperceivedepthusingbinocularvision.Thebinocularvisionofahumanisoverlapping,butgivesthebraintheperspectiveoftheworldaroundusfromtwoslightlydifferentangles.Whentheseimagesareprocessedbythebrainitiscalledstereopsis.Theresultingimageisonethatwecomprehendaswhatwecansee.Binocularvisiongivesgooddepthperception. Whatdoyoumeanbydepthperception? Depthperceptionissomeone'sabilitytoseeinthreedimensionsandperceivethewidth,length,andthicknessofanobjectinspace. Whatisanexampleofdepthperception? Anexampleofdepthperceptionisseeingadogrunningtowardus.Whenweseethedogandhavegooddepthperception,wecantellhowcloseitis. Whatcausespoordepthperception? Thereareavarietyofthingsthatcausepoordepthperception.Theseincludebeingblindinoneeye,cross-eyed,orhavingalazyeye. Registertoviewthislesson Areyouastudentorateacher? Iamastudent Iamateacher UnlockYourEducation Seeforyourselfwhy30millionpeopleuseStudy.com BecomeaStudy.commemberandstartlearningnow. BecomeaMember Alreadyamember?LogIn  Back WhatteachersaresayingaboutStudy.com Tryitnow Alreadyregistered? Loginhereforaccess Createanaccount DepthPerception:Cues&Examples|WhatisDepthPerception? Starttoday.Tryitnow Psychology / APPsychology:ExamPrep APPsychology:ExamPrep 18chapters| 200lessons |14 flashcardsets {{courseNav.course.topics.length}}chapters| {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}lessons |{{course.flashcardSetCount}} flashcardset{{course.flashcardSetCoun>1?'s':''}} Ch1. APPsychology:HistoryandDevelopment... Goto APPsychology:HistoryandDevelopmentofModernPsychology Ch2. APPsychology:ResearchMethodsUsedin... Goto APPsychology:ResearchMethodsUsedintheStudyofPsychology Ch3. APPsychology:Intelligence... Goto APPsychology:IntelligenceTesting Ch4. APPsychology:Biologyin... Goto APPsychology:BiologyinPsychology Ch5. APPsychology:The5Senses&Psychology IntrotoSensationandPerception 6:11 ReceptorProcesses&SensoryMechanisms 6:44 SensoryCoding:GettingMessagesfromReceptorstoYourBrain 5:38 HowDoesVisionWork? 5:28 WhatisVisualPerception?-Definition&Theory 3:20 MechanicsofHearing&HowtheBrainProcessesSound 5:30 Taste,Touch&Smell:Proprioception&theSomatosensorySystem 4:33 SensoryAdaptation&Habituation:Definition&Examples 5:34 WhatisDepthPerception?-Definition,Cues&Examples 6:01 3:38 NextLesson ExtrasensoryPerception:Definition,Types&Examples SensoryProcessingDisorder:Symptoms&Treatment WhatisVisionImpairment?-Definition,Causes&Symptoms 4:24 WhatisHearingImpairment?-Definition,Causes&Treatment 7:32 Goto APPsychology:The5Senses&Psychology Ch6. APPsychology:SleepandOtherStates... Goto APPsychology:SleepandOtherStatesofConsciousness Ch7. APPsychology:Learning&... Goto APPsychology:Learning&Conditioning Ch8. APPsychology:Memory&... Goto APPsychology:Memory&Cognition Ch9. 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