Skip to main content
Download PDF

Perception of coherent motion in random dot displays by pigeons and humans

Perception & Psychophysics volume 61, pages 1089–1101 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Pigeons and humans were required to discriminate coherent from random motion in dynamic random dot displays. Coherence and velocity thresholds were determined for both species, and both thresholds were found to be substantially higher for pigeons than for humans. The results are discussed with reference to differences in motion processing in mammals and birds. It is suggested that the inferior motion sensitivity of pigeons can be attributed to poorer spatiotemporal motion integration.

References

  • Bedell, H. E., &Johnson, C. A. (1995). The effect of flicker on foveal and peripheral thresholds for oscillatory motion.Vision Research,35, 2179–2189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Britto, L. R. G. D., Brunelli, M., Francesconi, W., &Magni, F. (1975). Visual response pattern of thalamic neurons in the pigeon.Brain Research,97, 337–343.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Emmerton, J. (1983a). Functional morphology of the visual system. In M. Abs (Ed.),Physiology and behavior of the pigeon (pp. 221–244). London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmerton, J. (1983b). Vision. In M. Abs (Ed.),Physiology and behavior of the pigeon (pp. 245–266). London: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmerton, J. (1986). The pigeon’s discrimination of movement patterns (Lissajous figures) and contour-dependent rotational invariance.Perception,15, 573–588.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, B. J. (1985). Neural mechanisms for detecting object motion and figure-ground boundaries contrasted with self-motion detecting systems. In D. Ingle, M. Jeannerod, & D. Lee (Eds.),Brain mechanisms and spatial vision (pp. 415–419). Dordrecht: Nijhoff.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frost, B. J., &Difranco, D. E. (1976). Motion characteristics of single units in the pigeon optic tectum.Vision Research,16, 1229–1234.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Frost, B. J., Wylie, D. R., &Wang, Y.-C. (1994). The analysis of motion in the visual systems of birds. In P. Green & M. Davies (Eds.),Perception and motor control in birds (pp. 248–269). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grasse, K. L., &Cynader, M. S. (1990). The accessory optic system in frontal-eyed animals. In A. Leventhal (Ed.),Vision and visual dysfunction: Vol. IV. The neuronal basis of visualfunction (pp. 111–139). New York: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hodos, W., Leibowitz, R. W., &Bonbright, J. C., Jr. (1976). Nearfield visual acuity of pigeons. Effects of head location and stimulus luminance.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,25, 129–141.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hodos, W., Smith, L., &Bonbright, J. C., Jr. (1975). Detection of the velocity of movement of visual stimuli by pigeons.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,25, 143–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hof, P. R., Bouras, D., Constantinidis, J., &Morrison, J. H. (1989). Balint’s syndrome in Alzheimer’s disease: Specific disruption of the occipitoparietal pathway.Brain Research,493, 368–375.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, C. P., &Pearlman, A. L. (1974). Single unit receptive fields and the cellular layers of the pigeon optic tectum.Brain Research,80, 365–377.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Johannson, G. (1978). Visual event perception. In R. Held, H. W. Leibowitz, & H.-L. Teuber (Eds.),Perception (pp. 675–711). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.

    Google Scholar 

  • Karten, J. K., &Shimizu, T. (1989). The origins of neocortex: Connections and lamination as distinct events in evolution.Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience,1, 291–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinoya, C., &Delius, J. D. (1990). Perception of rotating spiral patterns by pigeons.Biological Cybernetics,63, 127–134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martinoya, C., Rivaud, S., &Bloch, S. (1983). Comparing frontal and lateral viewing in the pigeon: II. Velocity thresholds for movement discrimination.Behavioural Brain Research,8, 375–385.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maunsell, J. H. R., &Newsome, W. T. (1987). Visual processing in monkey extrastriate cortex.Annual Review of ’Neuroscience,10, 363–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miceli, D., Gioanni, H., Repérant, J., &Peyrichoux, J. (1979). The avian wulst: I. An anatomical study of afferent and efferent pathways. II. An electrophysiological study of the functional properties of single neurons. In A. M. Granda & J. H. Maxwell (Eds.),Neural mechanisms of behavior in the pigeon (pp. 223–254). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, B., &Frost, B. J. (1981). Visual response characteristics of neurons in nucleus of basal optic root of pigeons.Experimental Brain Research,42, 181–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakayama, K. (1985). Biological image motion processing: A Review.Vision Research,25, 625–660.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakayama, K., &Tyler, C. W. (1981). Psychophysical isolation of movement sensitivity by removal of familiar position cues.Vision Research,21, 427–433.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Newsome, W. T., &Paré, E. B. (1988). A selective impairment of motion perception following lesions of the middle temporal visual area (MT).Journal of Neuroscience,8, 2201–2211.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pelli, D. G. (1990). The quantum efficiency of vision. In C. Blakemore (Ed.),Vision: Coding and efficiency (pp. 3–24). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pisacreta, R., &Witt, K. (1985). Movement as the discriminative stimulus dimension in several conditional discriminations.Psychological Record,35, 113–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Powell, R. W. (1967). The pulse-to-cycle fraction as a determinant of critical flicker fusion in the pigeon.Psychological Review,17, 151–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saito, H.-A. (1993). Hierarchical neural analysis of optical flow in the macaque visual pathway. In T. Ono, L. R. Squire, M. E. Raichle, D. I. Perrett, & M. Fukuda (Eds.),Brain mechanisms of perception and memory (pp. 121–140). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scase, M. O., Braddick, O. J., &Raymond, J. E. (1996). What is noise for the motion system?Vision Research,36, 2579–2586.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, R. K. (1970). Apparent movement detection in the pigeon.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,14, 93–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Siegel, R. K. (1971). Apparent movement and real movement detection in the pigeon: Stimulus generalization.Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior,16, 189–192.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Simoncelli, E. P., &Heeger, D. J. (1998). A model of neuronal responses in visual area MT.Vision Research,38, 743–761.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Snowden, R. J., &Braddick, O. J. (1989). Extension of displacement limits in multiple-exposure sequences of apparent motion.Vision Research,29, 1777–1787.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Trick, G. L., &Silverman, S. E. (1991). Visual sensitivity to motion: Age-related changes and deficits in senile dementia of the Alzheimer type.Neurology,41, 1437–1440.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y.-C., &Frost, B. J. (1991). Visual response characteristics of neurons in the nucleus isthmi magnocellularis and nucleus isthmi parvocellularis of pigeons.Experimental Brain Research,87, 624–633.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, A. B. (1986). Temporal sensitivity. In K. R. Boff, L. Kaufman, & J. P. Thomas (Eds.),Handbook of perception and performance (Vol. 1, pp. 6-1 to 6-43). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, AB T6G 2E9, Edmonton, Canada

    Walter E. Bischof, Sheri L. Reid, Doug R. W. Wylie & Marcia L. Spetch

Authors
  1. Walter E. Bischof
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Sheri L. Reid
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Doug R. W. Wylie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marcia L. Spetch
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Walter E. Bischof.

Additional information

This research was supported by research grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to W.F.B., D.R.W.W., and M.L.S. and by an Alberta Heritage Establishment Grant to D.R.W.W.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bischof, W.E., Reid, S.L., Wylie, D.R.W. et al. Perception of coherent motion in random dot displays by pigeons and humans. Perception & Psychophysics 61, 1089–1101 (1999). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207616

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03207616

Keywords

  • Human Observer
  • Positive Stimulus
  • Velocity Threshold
  • Coherent Motion
  • Middle Temporal