Cite as:
Filliard N, Reymond G, Wertheim A H, Kemeny A, Berthoz A, 2008, "Vestibular stimulation causes underestimation of visual velocity" Perception 37 ECVP Abstract Supplement, page 113

Vestibular stimulation causes underestimation of visual velocity

N Filliard, G Reymond, A H Wertheim, A Kemeny, A Berthoz

We investigated the vestibular contribution to the phenomenon that object motion is underestimated during ego-motion (eg Pavard and Berthoz, 1977 Perception 6 529 - 540; Wertheim and Reymond, 2007 Experimental Brain Research 180 569 - 576). Subjects were placed inside a high-performance car driving simulator, equipped with a semicircular screen (150° field of view) and a 7 × 7 m moving base. Subjects viewed a large tunnel structure projected for 1 s, moving towards them at 0, 1, or 2 m s^-1. Subjects were then accelerated linearly (at 0, 0.5, or 1 m s^-2), while the tunnel was presented again. Subjects matched perceived tunnel velocity during that second presentation to perceived tunnel velocity in the first presentation. The results showed a strong underestimation of tunnel velocity that increases with the amplitude of ego-acceleration. This result confirms the existence of nonlinear processing of visual and vestibular cues in self-motion perception.
[Supported by a ANRT-CIFRE 867-2005 doctoral grant (to NF).]

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