The role of terminators and occlusion cues in motion integration and segmentation: a neural network model

The perceptual interaction of terminators and occlusion cues with the funct ional processes of motion integration and segmentation is examined using a computational model. Integration is necessary to overcome noise and the inh erent ambiguity in locally measured motion direction (the aperture problem) . Segmentation is required to detect the presence of motion discontinuities and to prevent spurious integration of motion signals between objects with different trajectories. Terminators are used for motion disambiguation, wh ile occlusion cues are used to suppress motion noise at points where object s intersect. The model illustrates how competitive and cooperative interact ions among cells carrying out these functions can account for a number of p erceptual effects, including the chopsticks illusion and the occluded diamo nd illusion. Possible links to the neurophysiology of the middle temporal v isual area (MT) are suggested. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights re served.