title: Seeing the world topsy-turvy: The primary role of kinematics in biological motion inversion effects.
abstract: Physical inversion of whole or partial human body representations typically has catastrophic consequences on the observer's ability to perform visual processing tasks. Explanations usually focus on the effects of inversion on the visual system's ability to exploit configural or structural relationships, but more recently have also implicated motion or kinematic cue processing. Here, we systematically tested the role of both on perceptions of sex from upright and inverted point-light walkers. Our data suggest that inversion results in systematic degradations of the processing of kinematic cues. Specifically and intriguingly, they reveal sex-based kinematic differences: Kinematics characteristic of females generally are resistant to inversion effects, while those of males drive systematic sex misperceptions. Implications of the findings are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Behaviour, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia; e-mail: s.fitzgerald.21@student.scu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Sue-Anne
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Behaviour, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia; e-mail: anna.brooks@scu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Behaviour, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia; e-mail: rick.vanderzwan@scu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Rick
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van der Zwan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Behaviour, Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia; e-mail: duncan.blair@scu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Duncan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blair
keywords: biological motion; inversion; kinematic processing; point-light walkers; sex perception; structural processing