Perceived contrast, contrast detection thresholds and contrast discrimination thresholds were measured in the presence and absence of surrounding patterns of a similar spatio-temporal makeup. In the foveal retina we found that the perceived contrast of the central pattern was reduced by the presence of the contrast surrounds with the effect being greatest at low test contrast. Detection thresholds were not affected and contrast discrimination thresholds were only affected over a small range of low test contrasts. However if the test pattern was made smaller, or if its central part was occluded detection thresholds were raised. In the peripheral retina detection thresholds were raised and discrimination thresholds were affected over most of the range of contrasts. We argue that the pattern of results resembles those produced in masking paradigms where the test and mask are coextensive if the spatial range of interactions is taken into account and hence the effects of the contrast surround may be merely a manifestation of normal masking processes.
It is well-known that reducing the contrast of a slow moving stimulus reduces its apparent speed. [Thompson, P. (1982). Perceived rate of movement depends on contrast. Vision Research, 22, 377-380.] report of this finding also suggested that at speeds above 8 cycles/s reducing contrast increased perceived speed. However in a later report, Stone and Thompson (1992), using a more rigorous, forced-choice procedure, failed to collect reliable data at these higher speeds. Here, we confirm that faster moving stimuli can appear to move faster than their true speed at low contrasts and we propose a physiologically plausible ratio model that unlike recent Bayesian models (e.g. Weiss, Y., Simoncelli, E. P., & Adelson, E. H. (2002). Motion illusions as optimal percepts. Nature Neuroscience, 5, 598-604) can account well for the results.
Our perception of speed has been shown to be distorted under a number of viewing conditions. Recently the well-known reduction of perceived speed at low contrast has led to Bayesian models of speed perception that account for these distortions with a slow speed 'prior'. To test the predictive, rather than the descriptive, power of the Bayesian approach we have investigated perceived speed at low luminance. Our results indicate that, for the mesopic and photopic range (0.13-30 cd m(-2)) the perceived speed of lower luminance patterns is virtually unaffected at low speeds (<4 deg s(-1)) but is over-estimated at higher speeds (>4 deg s(-1)). We show here that the results can be accounted for by an extension to a simple ratio model of speed encoding [Hammett, S. T., Champion, R. A., Morland, A. & Thompson, P. G. (2005). A ratio model of perceived speed in the human visual system. Proceedings of Royal Society B, 262, 2351-2356.] that takes account of known changes in neural responses as a function of luminance, contrast and temporal frequency. The results are not consistent with current Bayesian approaches to modelling speed encoding that postulate a slow speed prior.
HighlightsCortical GABA levels correlate with visuo-spatial IQ and surround suppression.Higher levels predict higher intelligence and stronger surround suppression.Results provide mechanism linking surround suppression and intelligence.Results suggest role of cortical GABA levels in determining cognitive performance.
Sensory systems can adapt to the conditions imposed on them. In the visual system, adapting to a pattern increases the threshold of the ability to see that pattern, and reduces the perceived contrast of the pattern above threshold. Most neurons of the striate cortex reduce their responsiveness after being stimulated for some time by a high-contrast pattern. Such an effect may lie behind these psychophysical adaptation phenomena. These adaptation effects have been reported to be confined to patterns of similar orientation, which is understandable in that the visual neurons that adapt are only excited by a small range of orientations. Neurophysiological evidence suggests that neurons with different orientation preferences have inhibitory interconnections. It is therefore of interest to explore the possible effects of these connections on perception. Here we show that adapting to a horizontal pattern can reduce the perceived contrast of a vertical test pattern more than a horizontal test pattern. These 'cross-orientation' effects are modelled by a division-like process, whereas the more normal 'similar-orientation' effects are modelled by a subtractive process.
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