Synonyms
Definition
Occlusion is a monocular depth cue produced by partially overlapping objects: Objects that partially block other parts of the scene are perceived to be closer to an observer than the blocked objects.
Introduction
Like motion parallax, occlusion is a monocular depth cue that does not require integrating information from two retinas. Unlike motion parallax, however, occlusion is a pictorial depth cue that is available in static images. In addition to using occlusion for ordering objects in depth, human observers have a strong tendency to perceive partially occluded objects as being completed behind an occluded surface, a process called visual completion or amodal completion. However, the presence of amodal completion in non-primate species is less explored and, in some cases, controversial.
Occlusion and Visual Completion in Humans and Nonhuman Animals
All organisms inhabit a world filled with opaque objects; thus, their visual systems must constantly...
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References
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Lazareva, O. (2017). Occlusion. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2759-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_2759-1
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