Dr Jan de Fockert and Dr Karina J Linnell - Research project

The Role of Attention in Stereoscopic Perception

The visual awareness of stereoscopic, or three-dimensional (3D) depth depends on the successful fusion of the retinal images from the two eyes. Although the computational process of this form of depth perception has been investigated in detail, little is known about the extent to which visual attention plays a role in it. Attention has been shown to affect even very basic aspects of visual processing, such as motion, and this project aims to investigate whether the perception of a 3D image can also be modulated by whether or not it receives attention. Stereoscopic images will be presented alongside a visual task for which the attentional load will be varied in order to manipulate the amount of attention that can be allocated to the 3D image. If 3D perception requires attention, then the perception of the 3D images is expected to vary as a function of attentional load. This effect can be tested for two types of attentional load, perceptual and cognitive load, which previous work suggests may have different effects on 3D perception. Finally, the neural correlates of successful construction of a 3D percept can be investigated using electro-encephalography.