A COMPARISON BETWEEN METHODS FOR ASSESSING THE RESOLUTION OF MOVING TARGETS (DYNAMIC VISUAL-ACUITY)

A comparison was made between two measures of visual functioning in a dynamic context that required the resolution of moving targets. Perfor mance obtained on a traditional task of dynamic visual acuity, which i nvolves the determination of the smallest target that can be resolved at a given target velocity, was compared with that obtained with an al ternative task that essentially reverses the independent and dependent variables. Generally similar patterns of results were obtained across the two procedures, but the alternative procedure appears to offer se veral advantages such as greater ease of administration, improved prec ision of measurement, and more-direct assessment of underlying channel activity. The recommended use of the new procedure in future work inv olving dynamic acuity as well as particular variables that should be c arefully controlled in such work (eg target duration and target size) are discussed.