Motion Parallax - GCSE Psychology Definition

Motion parallax is a visual depth cue that helps us understand how far away things are when we move.

Imagine you are looking out of a car window. As the car moves, nearby objects, like trees or road signs, seem to zoom past you quickly, while faraway objects, like hills or clouds, appear to move slowly or stay almost still. This difference in speed gives your brain clues about how close or far away these objects are.

Motion parallax is important because it helps us judge distances and is part of our depth perception, which is how we perceive the world in three dimensions.