Stereoscopic depth constancy from a different direction

Abstract

To calibrate stereoscopic depth from disparity our visual system must compensate for an object's egocentric location. Ideally, the perceived three-dimensional shape and size of objects in visual space should be invariant with their location such that rigid objects have a consistent identity and shape. These percepts should be accurate enough to support both perceptual judgments and visually-guided interaction. This theoretical note reviews the relationship of stereoscopic depth constancy to the geometry of stereoscopic space and seemingly esoteric concepts like the horopter. We argue that to encompass the full scope of stereoscopic depth constancy, researchers need to consider not just distance but also direction, that is 3D egocentric location in space. Judgements of surface orientation need to take into account the shape of the horopter and the computation of metric depth (when tasks depend on it) must compensate for direction as well as distance to calibrate disparities. We show that the concept of the horopter underlies these considerations and that the relationship between depth constancy and the horopter should be more explicit in the literature.

Keywords: Depth constancy; Depth perception; Depth scaling; Distance; Horopter; Stereopsis.