Interposition psychology is a captivating area of study concerned with the ability of the human brain to partially perceive objects obscured by others and how the brain fills in the missing puzzles to come up with the complete picture. Just like any field of psychology, this field is also infamous among many students because of the intricacy of understanding cues and depth perception. In this insider blog, our psychology experts break down the challenge of interposition psychology into simpler and more understandable sections. They also help students with their psychology projects, assignments, and exams.
What Is Interposition Psychology?
Before exploring the meaning of interposition psychology, let us define interposition. Interposition refers to a perceptual cue in which the distances of two distinct objects are judged concerning the fact that one of the objects partially obscures or overlaps the other. Interposition psychology is, therefore, the placement of monocular visual depth perception and overlapping of other object cues. The object that obscures the other partially is closer than the one it obscures. The overlapping of interposition objects causes the human brain to perceive depth.
The Basic Concepts of Interposition Psychology
Interposition psychology is majorly predicated on various ways of perception, such as depth perception, binocular, molecular, and many more. The following is a succinct description of each of these concepts.
Monocular Cues
Monocular cues refer to the information the human brain uses to judge depth and distance based on a single eye’s visual field. As the term ‘mono’ suggests, these cues are either the right or left vision field. This implies that both eyes are unnecessary when the brain perceives these cues. Interposition is considered a monocular cue because it allows people to obtain information about the perception of depth from the environment. The following are the most common examples of monocular cues:
- Relative size – the judgment of distance based on past and present experience and familiarity with objects with similarity.
- Linear perspective – this is the case when objects of known distance subtend smaller angles and are interpreted as being further away.
- Aerial perspective – it is concerned with the perception of the distance of objects based on their colors and contrasts.
- Light and shade – the brain also depends on shadow and highlights to provide information about the dimensions and depths of objects.
- Monocular movement parallax – this case of monocular cues is described when heads move from side to side. In such cases, objects move at different velocities depending on their distances. Objects closer to the eyes move against the direction of the movement of the head, while objects that are further away move in the same direction as that of the head.
Binocular Cues
The perfect embodiment of binocular cues is the case of stereopsis. Stereopsis refers to depth perception caused by binocular retinal disparity. It cannot occur monocularly because it heavily relies on the binocular retinal disparity in the Panum’s fusional space. This implies that two objects stimulate disparate retinal points within the Panum’s fusional space.
Depth Perception
When one object overlaps the other, the human brain can perceive depth. An authentic example of this case is the ability of the human brain to see a three-dimensional figure on a flat surface.
Secondly, there is also the case of the image of a cube. Looking at it many people usually take it simply as a cube. Only a few people can see the image as two squares connected by a series of lines, which is how the image is mostly created. But what causes the lack of depth of perception? The following are some causative agents:
- Amblyopia
- Blurry vision
- Trauma in one eye
- Eye nerve problems
The Applications of Interposition Psychology
As palpable as it appears, many fields, especially technology, have benefitted from the concept of interposition psychology. The following are real-life applications of interposition psychology.
Virtual Reality (VR)
Interposition psychology is part of the science technicians use to create virtual reality technology. VR systems depend on interposition cues to develop immersive three-dimensional experiences.
Augmented Reality
The applications of AR inlay digital content in the world today. The understanding of interposition ensures that digital objects appear in coexistence seamlessly with real objects.
The Role of Interposition Psychology In Art
Art techniques such as overlapping and foreshortening heavily rely on interposition. Artists apply this concept to create realism and depth.
Interposition In Sports
Interposition plays a significant role in various sports, for instance baseball. Outfielders normally position themselves between the sun and the ball, using interposition to see the ball.
Need to Understand Interposition Psychology?
Interposition psychology, without a doubt, plays a very significant role in the day-to-day life of human beings. As fascinating and significant as it is, understanding cues and depth perception is also difficult for many students. Our psychology experts assist students with assignments, projects, and exams. Contact us with your query.
