Harris, Laurence2018-03-012018-03-012017-08-082018-03-01http://hdl.handle.net/10315/34364This thesis investigates different interpretations of visual background motion with regards to the visual awareness of objects. Motion-induced blindness (MIB) is a phenomenon in which stimuli superimposed on a moving background spontaneously disappear. Does MIB depend on how background motion is interpreted? York Universitys Tumbling Room is a full-size room that rotates around an observer. Within this room, the disappearance of static targets (MIB) was measured under two interpretations of background motion: 1) perceived self-motion 2) external motion. The speed of the room, eccentricity of targets, and physical self-motion were also manipulated. Visual background motion that induced the sensation of self-motion, regardless of whether it was illusory or physical rotation unlike when background motion was perceived as external did not generate MIB. I conclude that MIB depends on the way the brain processes visual motion information.enAuthor owns copyright, except where explicitly noted. Please contact the author directly with licensing requests.Behavioral sciencesElectronic Thesis or Dissertation2018-03-01Vision scienceVectionSelf-motionPerceptionOptic flowMotion-induced blindnessMotion perception