Relevance. It is one of very important tasks of modern neuroscience to investigate the psychological and psychophysiological mechanisms of body orientation processes. Particularly due to the growth in use of visualization and simulation technologies (virtual reality, projection displays, aircraft simulators). The application of such systems is often associated with mismatch between different sensory signals. One of the phenomena resulting from this mismatch is the self-motion illusion – the perception of own movement by a motionless person observing a moving visual stimulus occupying a large part of field of view.

Objective. Investigation the role of optokinetic nystagmus in self-motion illusion. The virtual optokinetic drum rotating at 30, 45 and 60 deg/s was used as a stimulus. The drum was presented using CAVE virtual reality system. 17 healthy participants took part in the experiment. The slow phases of nystagmus during self-motion illusion perception were analyzed. 

Results. The more the drum rotation speed, the more the illusion intensity and slow phases duration. Also the disturbances in slow phase realization led to increase the illusion intensity. The restoration of nystagmus reduced the illusion. Thus it was found that optokinetic nystagmus is a component of a human space orientation system and the nystagmus also adjusts the illusion perception. The effectiveness of application of CAVE virtual reality system in complicated cognitive processes investigation was proved.

The spherical model of visual perception, based on the hypothesis of vector encoding of information by neurons-detectors, is suggested and discussed. The following global features of the model are under special consideration: sphericity, universality, and the connection of its metric parameters (spherical angles, Cartesian coordinates) with subjective and neurophysiological aspects of vision. Theoretical states are illustrated by the data of experimental researches of different forms of visual perception in human and animals – perception of ‘color’, ‘direction of moving’, ‘spatial frequencies’, ‘orientation’.

The analysis of differences between two theoretical approaches to visual perception — the ecological and the constructivist ones — is presented. The modern experimental data are considered which demonstrate the presence of two physiologically separate pathways, labeled as the ventral and dorsal streams. The questions are discussed if the differences between theoretical approaches may be reduced to differently functioning physiological streams.

The article is devoted to description of an experimental study of the problem of a generalized method assembling of composite pictures by preschool children age (based on puzzles (P), composite pictures (CP) and geometric brain-twisters (GBT). A number of conditions have an influence on formation of an assembling method, e.g. type of playing material, insertion sequence of different kind of materials, insertion of materials with/without of used patterns. All these conditions assist or prevent from guidelines selection for an action implementation, formation of a generalized method with formation of which is linked perceptual development.