Retinal Disparity (Binocular Cue)

A Binocular Cue is a type of the depth cue that relays on the use of both eyes to judge the distance between two nearby objects. An example of an binocular cue is retinal disparity, which combines the images of an object from the view of both retinas to determine the actual distance between the objects. For example, the image below shows the distance between two peaches as perceived with the use of both retinas. If only one eye was used to view the peaches, the distance between them would appear greater, as if shifted apart, or closer, as if pushed together, depending on which eye was used. 

 

Linear Perspective (Monocular Cue)

Linear Perspective is an example of a monocular cue, a depth cue that is able to seen with one eye only, that explains the phenomena of two parallel lines that appear to converge as they continue towards the horizon. The closer the two parallel lines appear correlates to a greater perceived distance between the viewer and that point on the horizon. For example, in the photo below, the path with parallel sides becomes closer together as the distance between the photographer and that point on the path increases.

Relative Size (Monocular Cue)

Relative Size is a monocular cue,a depth cue that is able to seen with one eye only, that the mind uses to infer the distance between yourself and two objects of the same size. If you know that two objects are the same size, the mind infers that the one that appears smaller in our field of vision is farther away, whereas, when an object appears larger, it is perceived as being closer. For example, the image below displays a mosque with two minarets that are of equal size. However, because one minaret appears smaller than the other, we can infer that it is farther away from the photographer than the one that appears larger.

Figure-Ground Perception

Figure-Ground Perception explains the relationship between an object and its surroundings. The visual field is organized into a figure and the ground it is seen against. The eye focuses on either the figure or the ground to form a distinct perception of the situation from the perspective of each component. For example, the picture below displays the view of a canyon through a wrought iron fence. By solely focusing on the figure (the wrought iron fence) one only focuses on the figure, which creates a different perspective of the situation than if on only focused on the ground (the canyon).

    

Closure

Closure is that objects that appear to make up an image that is easily recognizable are more likely to be perceived as though they belong in the same group, even if there are gaps in the image that the brain needs to fill in. Closure is very similar to top-down processing. This picture of the 2 pieces of ribbon shows closure because even though there is a gap in the circle that they are perceived to create, the mind still views that form as a circle. 

Proximity

Proximity is that objects that are close together appear to belong in the same group. This picture of these hair clips shows proximity because even though there are 2 groups of two hair clips, the brain perceived them as a single group of 4 hair clips. 

Similarity

Similarity is that objects that are similar in appearance are more likely to be perceived as belonging in the same group. This picture of clouds shows similarity because even though each cloud is individual, they look similar in many ways so the brain sees them as being in a bigger group. 

Continuity

Continuity is the that objects that form a continuous form are more likely to be perceived as being in the same group. This picture of the bricks shows continuity because all of the bricks look like they fit in the same group even though they are each individual. 

Brightness Constancy

Brightness constancy is the tendency to perceive an object as having a constant lightness even while the illumination in its surroundings vary.  For example, the bottom of this picture I took in Baltimore shows a beam of light on the sidewalk ahead of me; if you look beyond that, the very same sidewalk continues but looks as though it's colored differently because of the relative luminance or the amount of reflection relative to surroundings.

Shape Constancy

Shape constancy is when we see an object at a certain angle, making it look like a different shape, even though this is not possible.  For example, this door is open, making it look almost trapezoidal. In reality, we perceive it as a constant shape because we already know that the door is rectangular. 

Size Constancy

Size constancy is when we infer the size of an object based on its distance and size in our retinas. A great example of this can be found as you are walking down the street in your neighborhood. You may see a car from a distance and although it appears smaller from afar, you know its size or even the amount of people it would be able to fit. If something is far away, we automatically and unconsciously assume its size. As seen in this photo, the cars on both the left and right appear small but we perceive them as the size of a normal truck and sedan.

Motion Perception

Motion perception is our ability to perceive and identify motion of objects.  This is a photo of a ball being thrown at me as I am laying on a blanket in the grass. This is a simple but effective way of representing motion perception; as the ball became bigger, I could perceive that it was moving toward me and therefore catch it. I had less time to react to this situation than I would if the ball were a car.  Because of our motion perception, larger objects seem to move at a slower rate than smaller objects.