The mechanism of "cardboard cut-out phenomenon"

Abstract

Objects and people in stereograms typically appear flat as if they are cardboard cut-cuts. This is still true when the angular size of objects in the stereograms is the same as those of original scene. Howard and Rogers (1995) suggested that the structure from the binocular disparity become flattened because the viewing distance is much smaller than the original scene. We investigated this hypothesis and revealed that in addition to the effect of viewing distance the effect of depth contrast is necessary to produce cardboard cut-out phenomenon.