title: Camouflage, detection and identification of moving targets.
abstract: Nearly all research on camouflage has investigated its effectiveness for concealing stationary objects. However, animals have to move, and patterns that only work when the subject is static will heavily constrain behaviour. We investigated the effects of different camouflages on the three stages of predation-detection, identification and capture-in a computer-based task with humans. An initial experiment tested seven camouflage strategies on static stimuli. In line with previous literature, background-matching and disruptive patterns were found to be most successful. Experiment 2 showed that if stimuli move, an isolated moving object on a stationary background cannot avoid detection or capture regardless of the type of camouflage. Experiment 3 used an identification task and showed that while camouflage is unable to slow detection or capture, camouflaged targets are harder to identify than uncamouflaged targets when similar background objects are present. The specific details of the camouflage patterns have little impact on this effect. If one has to move, camouflage cannot impede detection; but if one is surrounded by similar targets (e.g. other animals in a herd, or moving background distractors), then camouflage can slow identification. Despite previous assumptions, motion does not entirely 'break' camouflage.
authors.affiliation: School of Experimental Psychology, University of Bristol, 12a Priory Road, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK. joanna.hall@bristol.ac.uk
authors.forename: Joanna R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Innes C
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Cuthill
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baddeley
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Shohet
authors.forename: Nicholas E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Scott-Samuel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D020387:Food Chain; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D014796:Visual Perception