Development of Asymmetric Vection for Radial Expansion or Contraction Motion: Comparison Between School-Age Children and Adults

Vection is illusory self-motion elicited by visual stimuli and is more easily induced by radial contraction than expansion flow in adults. The asymmetric feature of vection was reexamined with 18 younger (age: 6–8 years) and 19 older children (age: 9–11 years) and 20 adults. In each experimental trial, participants observed either radial expansion or contraction flow; the latency, cumulative duration, and saturation of vection were measured. The results indicated that the latency for contraction was significantly shorter than that for expansion in all age-groups. In addition, the latency and saturation were significantly shorter and greater, respectively, in the younger or older children compared with the adults, regardless of the flow pattern. These results indicate that the asymmetry in vection for expansion or contraction flow emerges by school age, and that school-age children experience significantly more rapid and stronger vection than adults.