Motion perception: A modern view of Max Wertheimer's 1912 monograph on apparent motion
Max Wertheimer's 1912 monograph on apparent motion is recognized as a
seminal contribution to the study of visual motion, but its actual
contents are not widely known. This article clarifies what the monograph
did and did not contribute, calling
attention to links between Wertheimer's principal findings and those from
subsequent investigations of motion perception, including currently-active
lines of research.
Topics discussed
include
- Wertheimer's experimental tests of explanations for apparent
motion
- his work with motion phenomena lying between succession and
optimum motion
- his studies of attention's influence on motion
- Wertheimer's explorations of hysteresis and motion
transparency
- his brief work with a motion-blind patient.
(Contact
author for preprint: e-mail to
Robert Sekuler)