Displacement in depth: Representational momentum and boundary extension

Abstract

Memory for targets moving in depth and for stationary targets was examined in five experiments. Memory for targets moving in depth was displaced behind the target with slower target velocities (longer ISIs and retention intervals) and beyond the target with faster target velocities (shorter ISIs and retention intervals), and the overall magnitude of forward displacement for motion in depth was less than the overall magnitude of forward displacement for motion in the picture plane. Memory for stationary targets was initially displaced away from the observer, but memory for smaller stationary targets was subsequently displaced toward the observer and memory for larger stationary targets was subsequently displaced away from the observer; memory for the top or bottom edge of a stationary target was displaced inside the target perimeter. The data are consistent with Freyd and Johnson's (1987) two-component model of the time course of representational momentum and with Intraub et al.'s (1992) two-component model of boundary extension.