Effects of Size and Motion Parallax on Perceived Depth in Two-Dimensional Virtual Reality Displays

Abstract

Depth perception refers to the ability to perceive distance between objects, and the visual features from which such conclusions are derived are called depth cues. Depth is also the primary distinguishing factor between two-dimensional images or videos and reality. Virtual reality, with the goal of creating an illusion of reality, employs depth perception in many of its images through depth cues. In particular, binocular depth cues are frequently used due to the vividness they portray. However, technology to create or display binocularly disparate images are inaccessible and hard to develop. Here, we program a two-dimensional virtual reality display to compare the depth portrayals of two powerful monocular cues, size and motion parallax. Results indicate that the effect of size cue dominates that of motion parallax. Furthermore, results show that a 10-second decision about depth based on intuition is more accurate than a longer deliberation based on calculations and logic, particularly when faced with a complex display.