In the above demo, if one looks at it with only one eye, one should be able to see a three-dimensional structure. This is an example of what we are working on in order to figure out why we perceive such visual structure.

The main question we are trying to explore in the area of three dimensional perception is as follows:

Do individuals perceive objects at the same distance and depth. If not, how much is the difference?

There are two main veins of research and the experiments have been set up, which are measurement studies.

In one vein of research, the question is whether observers perceive an objectively distanced cube as subjectively closer or farther than the ground truth. The observer is presented with an imperfect cube. The observer is tasked with adjusting the back of the cube until they perceive a perfect cube.

In another vein of research, we show observers two intersecting rings that are rotated around the z-axis. After some period of time, there appears to be some depth between the two rings. The question is, “do observers see the same length of the illusory cylinder?” We have three measurement techniques to quantify the perceived cylinder length.

In one experiment, the observer adjusts the back of the cylinder until they perceive a uniform cylinder. In another experiment, the observer adjusts the diameter of a sphere that is positioned in between the two rings. In the final experiment, the observer is asked to adjust the horizontal disparity of two sets of concentric rings in order to match the front and back of the cylinder.

The following is the demo of a second experiment revolving around the illusory cylinder:

Currently, we are running the experiments multiple times to improve consistency. Ultimately, the goal is to have a complete picture of between and within-subject measures regarding internal sensory consistency.