Effects of spatial-frequency specific adaptation and target duration on visual persistence.

Abstract

Two experiments investigated the properties of visual persistence as functions of spatial frequency, stimulus duration, and pattern-specific adaptation. In Experiment 1, increasing the duration of high spatial-frequency gratings from 50 to 500 msec decreased the duration of visual persistence produced by that grating to an asymptotic level. However, low-frequency gratings produced a constant estimate of visual persistence independent of presentation time. Also, spatial-frequency specific adaptation reduced the persistence of the high-frequency gratings to this asymptotic level, but the lower frequency persistence estimates already at this level were unaffected (Experiment 2). These findings are related to possible temporal properties of the sustained and transient visual systems.

An investigation into hemisphere differences in adaptation to contrast

“…However, these may be considered unlikely to be lateralized. Tei and Owen's experiments were also such as to induce metacontrast masking, which can differ between the hemispheres (at least for verbal material; Cohen, 1976;McKeever & Suberi, 1974;Turvey, 1973) and changes in visible persistence (Di Lollo, 1981;Meyer, Lawson, & Cohen, 1975;Meyer & Maguire, 1981). However, neither of these effects would be large enough to account for the changes in reaction time of hundreds of milliseconds which Tei and Owen reported.…”

Age differences in the temporal continuity of gratings as a function of their spatial frequency

“…They found that persistence of the gratings inceased monotonically with their spatial frequency. Subsequent studies using this and similar methods (e.g., Bowling, Lovegrove, & Mapperson, 1979; Long & Sakitt, 1984;Lovegrove & Heddle, 1980;Meyer & Maguire, 1981;Parker & Dutch, 1987) have all found that persistence, continuity or perceptual latency increases with spatial frequency, a result usually ascribed to a spatial frequency-induced shift from transient to sustained channel functioning. It now appears that these "quasi-flicker" assessments of grating continuity better measure cletection of target offset than the total persistence of a filding stimulus trace (Long & Gildea, 1981;Long & Sakitt, 1984).…”

Duration and resolution effects on visual persistence (positive afterimages)

“…The analogous functions (not shown) relating target-duration and visual persistence were also determined for each subject under scotopic background conditions (.03 cd/rn') and with a peripheral (70) target It should be noted that both the target size and target duration effects of the present work are, on the face of it, in opposition to several previous studies. Other investigators, as well as this investigator using other tasks (Long & Gildea, 1981;Long & McCarthy, 1982), have occasionally reported inverse energ y effects (Bowen, Pola, & Matin, 1974;DiLollo, 1977) and inverse size effects on visua l pers istence (Bowling & Lovegrove, 1980;Meye r & Maguire , 1977, 1981. In fact, these inverse effects have typically been cited as critical evidence against a photoreceptor locu s to persistence effects (DiLollo, 1980(DiLollo, , 1984 .…”