Highlights The size-speed illusion may be explained by observer's eye movement patterns. Speed estimates of moving trains and cars were tested in a simulated environment. Fixations were localised further from the front of the train, compared to the car. Tracking a dot placed at the front of short and long objects removed the illusion. We recommend future testing of interventions designed to manipulate eye movements.
Abstract Recent research on the perceived speed of large moving objects, compared to smaller moving objects, has revealed the presence of a size-speed illusion. This illusion, where a large object seems to be moving more slowly than a small object travelling at the same speed may account for collisions between motor cars and trains at level crossings, which is a serious safety issue in New Zealand and worldwide. One possible reason for the perceived size-speed difference may be related to the movement of our eyes when we track moving vehicles. In order to investigate this, we tested observers’ relative speed perception of moving objects (both abstract and more detailed objects) moving in depth towards the observer, presented on a computer display and eye movements recorded with an eyetracker. Experiment 1 confirmed first the size-speed illusion when the observers were situated further away (18, 36m) from the simulated rail crossing or intersection. It also revealed that the eye movement behaviour of our participants was different when they judged the speeds of the small and large objects; eye fixations were localised around the visual centroid of longer objects and hence were further from the front of the moving large objects than the smaller ones. Experiment 2 found that manipulating eye movements could reduce the magnitude of the illusion. When observers tracked targets (dots) that were placed at corresponding locations at the front of the small object and the long object respectively, they perceived the speeds of the two objects as equal. When target dots were placed closer to the visual centroid, observers perceived the larger object to be moving slower. These results demonstrate that there is a close relationship between eye movement behaviour and our perceived judgement of an approaching train's speed.
The role of eye movements in the size-speed illusion of approaching trains
Accident Analysis and Prevention ; 86 ; 146-154
2015-10-23
9 pages
Aufsatz (Zeitschrift)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
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