How Do We Avoid Confounding the Direction We Are Looking and the Direction We Are Moving?

Contrary to a previous assumption, the center of the expanding pattern of visual flow is not generally useful as an aid in judging the direction of self motion since its direction depends on the direction of gaze. For some visual environments, however, the point of maximum rate of change of magnification in the retinal image coincides with the direction of self motion, independently of the direction of gaze. This visual indicator could be used to judge the direction of self motion.