The facing bias in biological motion perception: structure, kinematics, and body parts.
Depth-ambiguous point-light walkers (PLWs) elicit a facing bias: Observers perceive a PLW as facing toward them more often than as facing away (Vanrie,Dekeyser, & Verfaillie, Perception, 33, 547-560, 2004). While the facing bias correlates with the PLW's perceived gender (Brooks et al., Current Biology, 18, R728-R729, 2008; Schouten, Troje, Brooks, van der Zwan, & Verfaillie, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 72,1256-1260, 2010), it remains unclear whether the change in perceived in-depth orientation is caused by a change in perceived gender. In Experiment 1, we show that structural and kinematic stimulus properties that lead to the same changes in perceived gender elicit opposite changes in perceived in-depth orientation, indicating that the relation between perceived gender and in-depth orientation is not causal. The results of Experiments 2 and 3 further suggest that the perceived in-depth orientation of PLWs is strongly affected by locally acting stimulus properties. The facing bias seems to be induced by stimulus properties in the lower part of the PLW.
Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven, Tiensestraat 102, Leuven, Belgium. Ben.Schouten@psy.kuleuven.be
Ben
B
Schouten
Nikolaus F
NF
Troje
Karl
K
Verfaillie
D001288:Attention; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D003210:Concept Formation; D003867:Depth Perception; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005260:Female; D005403:Fixation, Ocular; D018594:Human Body; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D009903:Optical Illusions; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012727:Sex Characteristics