Little is known about the perception of another vehicle during self-motion. This situation occurs, for instance, when a car driver approaches an intersection with ongoing traffic. Previously, it is shown that the perception of the other car's trajectory depends both on global visual information, such as the optical flow field, and on local visual information, such as the optical motion of the moving object and the relative optical motion between the moving object and fixed elements in the environment. The present paper examines the environmental factors which contribute to perceptual judgements in relation to the level of driving experience. Three experiments simulated the curvilinear approach of a driver to an intersection at which another vehicle was arriving.
Abstract