Beyond the displacement limit: an analysis of short-range processes in apparent motion.

If a circle of random dots is presented in two successive displays in which the second is rotated in relation to the first, then observers are able to accurately discriminate the direction of apparent rotation as long as the rotation is small. Rotations beyond this short-range apparent motion can produce the impression of motion in the reverse direction. The performance in identifying the direction of rotation further depends on the eccentricity of stimulation and the density of the random dots. Simulations of the experiments using the Marr and Ullman model of motion detection are in good quantitative agreement with the data except for low dot density patterns and large displacements. In these situations perception seems to be dominated by the operation of long-range processes.