Verbal, action-based and oculomotor aspects of stereoscopic distance perception

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Boris M. Velichkovsky (†)
• Subject Area: General, Cognitive and Mathematical Psychology
• Term: from 2014 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 262068272

As a result of technological progress, the spread of stereoscopic applications is increasing in many fields such as work, health and entertainment. The eyes of the user are presented with two images from slightly different viewpoints, which results in a 3D-impression. Experimental studies revealed an underestimation of distances and showed large interindividual differences in the spatial perception of stereoscopic content. It is difficult to measure the subjective spatial perception, since verbal reports and action-based estimates often lead to divergent results. The 3D-gaze position measured with a binocular eye-tracking system represents an objective measure of distance perception but has so far been neglected. This project will investigate the relation between different measurement methods of distance perception (verbal reports, action-based estimates, 3D-gaze position) during stereoscopic viewing. The results will allow conclusions about the relationship between various depth cues as well as the internal representation of visual space. Furthermore, an applicable method to adjust stereoscopic visualizations to individual's depth perception will be tested. This is a pre-condition to develop more naturalistic virtual environments and to reduce errors when interacting with the presented content.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• Participating Persons: Professor Dr.-Ing. Ralph Stelzer; Sascha Weber