Lesson 3.1.2.3.2

3.1.2.3.2 Role of motion parallax in everyday perception Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 2

20 questions

Written by Revision Ninja · Last reviewed 11 October 2026

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Lesson 3.1.2.3.2, Role of motion parallax in everyday perception: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA GCSE Psychology (8182), Unit 2: Perception, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. What is motion parallax?

    • When two eyes see slightly different images, so that the object looks closer to the observer
    • When parallel lines in a scene converge towards the horizon, so the far parts look smaller
    • When the observer stays still, nearby objects appear to move slower across the field than distant objects
    • When the observer moves, nearby objects appear to move faster across the visual field than distant objects

  2. What does motion parallax tell a person about the objects around them?

    • Which objects are nearer and which are further away, from how fast they move across the view
    • The exact name of each object, from how it is stored in the short-term memory store
    • The exact colour of each object, from how bright it looks as it moves across the view
    • The exact weight of each object, from how much effort is needed to move it across view

  3. A passenger on a moving train looks out of the window. Which objects appear to move fastest across the view?

    • Nearby objects, such as fence posts close to the track, because of motion parallax
    • Distant objects, such as hills far away, because of motion parallax in the far distance
    • Nearby objects, such as the window frame, because they are larger in the passenger's view
    • Distant objects, such as clouds high in the sky, because they cover more of the view

  4. Why do distant mountains appear to move slowly when a person walks past them?

    • Because the mountains are occluded by nearer objects, so they seem to stay in the same place
    • Because the eyes converge on the mountains, which stops them from moving across the view at all
    • Because motion parallax makes distant objects change their position in the view more slowly
    • Because motion parallax makes distant objects stop moving once the walker is within reach of them

  5. Which everyday situation relies most on motion parallax?

    • Judging the name of a word when it is shown as a single written word on a card
    • Judging how far away the kerb is when stepping off a moving bus into the street
    • Judging the colour of a shirt when it is shown in a photo on a page in the room
    • Judging the weight of a bag when it is lifted by someone who is standing still

  6. Why is motion parallax useful for a person walking through a crowded street?

    • It shows the exact colour of each person's clothing, as the walker moves past each one
    • It shows the exact emotion of each person, as the walker moves past them in the crowd
    • It shows which people are nearer and which are further away, as the walker moves past them
    • It shows the exact name of each person, as the walker moves past them in the crowd

  7. Which statement about motion parallax is correct?

    • It is a monocular cue that depends on the observer standing still, so it works in the dark
    • It is a monocular cue that depends on the observer moving, so it works with only one eye
    • It is a binocular cue that depends on the lines of the scene converging towards the horizon
    • It is a binocular cue that depends on the observer standing still, so it needs both eyes

  8. Why does motion parallax fit Gibson's theory of direct perception?

    • Because the information comes from the moving scene itself, which can be picked up without inference
    • Because it requires the brain to build a model of the scene from stored memories before it works
    • Because it depends on the sensory store holding an exact copy of the scene for a short time
    • Because it only works after rehearsal has moved the scene information into long-term memory

  9. A driver notices that roadside signs flash past faster than distant fields. Which cue explains this?

    • Linear perspective, because the road lines converge towards the horizon in the distance ahead
    • Relative size, because the signs look bigger on the retina than the fields seen in the distance
    • Occlusion, because the signs hide the fields from the driver as the car passes them by
    • Motion parallax, because nearer objects move faster across the visual field than distant ones

  10. A person stands still and watches two objects at different distances. Which cue is missing that would give motion parallax?

    • The observer's eyes turning inwards, which changes the disparity between the two objects in view
    • The observer's memory, which changes the size that the two objects are judged to be in the scene
    • The observer's own movement, which changes the speed at which the objects move across the view
    • The observer's colour sight, which changes the brightness of the two objects in the field

  11. Which statement best explains why motion parallax gives depth information?

    • Objects at different distances move across the view at different speeds when the observer moves
    • Objects at different distances look the same colour when the observer moves past them
    • Objects at different distances are stored in different stores when the observer moves
    • Objects at different distances produce the same retinal disparity when the observer moves

  12. Which of these is NOT an example of motion parallax?

    • Two objects at the same distance seen by a still observer who turns the eyes inwards to focus
    • Near people appearing to move quickly across the view of someone walking past a busy street
    • Near posts flashing past a train window faster than the far fields seen through the glass
    • Near trees appearing to rush past a car window while distant hills seem to move slowly

  13. Why do nearby objects move across the view faster than distant ones when the observer moves?

    • Because distant objects are occluded more often, which slows their apparent movement in view
    • Because distant objects are stored in long-term memory, so they are slower to be updated
    • Because a small movement changes the angle to a nearby object much more than to a distant one
    • Because nearby objects are brighter and so attract the eye more quickly as the observer moves

  14. Which statement about the role of motion parallax in everyday perception is most accurate?

    • It works only in a laboratory with a fixed observer, so it has little use in everyday perception
    • It replaces all other depth cues, so people never need relative size or occlusion in everyday life
    • It helps people judge depth when they move, and is often used together with other depth cues
    • It is only used to judge colour and brightness, not depth, so it is rarely used in daily life

  15. Why does a cyclist see the wheel of a parked car pass quickly while the far hedge moves slowly?

    • Relative size, because the wheel looks bigger on the retina than the hedge at the same moment
    • Retinal disparity, because each eye sees the wheel and the hedge from a different angle
    • Occlusion, because the wheel hides the hedge from the cyclist's view as they ride past it
    • Motion parallax, because the nearer object changes its position in view faster than the distant hedge

  16. Which observer movement produces motion parallax?

    • Turning the eyes inwards to focus on a near object, which changes the disparity of the image
    • Staring at a single point without moving at all, so the eyes stay fixed on one object
    • Side-to-side movement of the head or body, so that the view of the scene changes
    • Blinking of both eyes in turn, so the image changes with each movement of the eyelids

  17. Why might motion parallax be less useful for judging a very distant object?

    • Distant objects barely change their angle as the observer moves, so there is little apparent motion to use
    • Distant objects are always hidden by nearby objects, so no movement of them is visible at all
    • Distant objects move faster across the view than near objects, which confuses the depth judgement
    • Distant objects are too small to be seen, so they produce no retinal image that can show motion

  18. A person walks past a lamp post close by and a building far away. Which apparent speeds are expected?

    • The lamp post moves slowly across the view and the building moves quickly across the view
    • Both move at the same speed, because motion parallax only works for objects of the same size
    • The lamp post stays still and the building moves quickly, because it is larger in the view
    • The lamp post moves quickly across the view and the building moves slowly

  19. Why does motion parallax alone not give an exact distance in metres?

    • It gives relative depth, showing which objects are nearer, but not an exact measure of distance
    • It gives an exact distance in metres, but only when the observer is moving at walking speed
    • It gives an exact distance only if both eyes are used together to judge the scene in view
    • It gives an exact distance in metres because the sensory store holds the movement for one second

  20. Which statement correctly contrasts motion parallax with retinal disparity?

    • Motion parallax needs the observer to move, while retinal disparity needs the two eyes to receive different images
    • Motion parallax needs the two eyes to receive different images, while retinal disparity needs the observer to move
    • Both need the observer to move, but only retinal disparity works when the observer is still and using one eye
    • Both need two eyes, but only motion parallax works when the observer stands still and does not move

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