Visual Target Motion

Visual target motion is perceived movement of an observed object (the “target”). When visually tracking a moving target, visual target motion is needed to keep focus on the object. Perception is affected by the target’s speed, direction, and acceleration, as well as background environment. In sports, an athlete tracking a ball in flight relies on visual target motion to predict its trajectory and react accordingly. Eye signals sent to the brain interpret the movement to see whether it’s real or an illusion. Also see Parieto-Insular-Vestibular Cortex