The Discrimination of Dynamic Orientation Changes in Gratings

Perception ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 665-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Wright ◽  
Kevin N Gurney

Thresholds were measured for discrimination of direction of a step angular rotation of gratings. The addition of simultaneous phase displacements (translation) had little effect on rotation thresholds for gratings over a considerable range; discrimination of rotation is unaffected by random directional translations an order of magnitude larger. Angular rotation discrimination thresholds increased with interstimulus interval (ISI). Thus discrimination is based at short ISIs (180 ms or less) on a percept of rotary motion, but at ISIs of several seconds by a spatial strategy (comparing static component orientations) relying on visual memory. Data points for the short-ISI region fell below the best-fitting straight line, and the slope of the short-ISI region of the curve was steeper than that of the long-ISI region. However, when either compound or simple gratings with uncorrelated spatial frequencies were used in the two stimulus frames, there was no evidence for a separate function at short ISIs. Orientation-change thresholds were measured for simple gratings as a function of contrast and spatial frequency. The contrast function showed saturation and the spatial frequency function was U-shaped. Rotation sensitivity for gratings is thus similar in its spatiotemporal properties to translation sensitivity. The findings support the proposal that rotation discrimination (at short ISIs) is achieved by a template mechanism combining signals from different directional detectors, rather than by cognitive comparison of the outputs of the directional mechanisms themselves.

1979 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
F. C. Brenner ◽  
A. Kondo

Abstract Tread wear data are frequently fitted by a straight line having average groove depth as the ordinate and mileage as the abscissa. The authors have observed that the data points are not randomly scattered about the line but exist in runs of six or seven points above the line followed by the same number below the line. Attempts to correlate these cyclic deviations with climatic data failed. Harmonic content analysis of the data for each individual groove showed strong periodic behavior. Groove 1, a shoulder groove, had two important frequencies at 40 960 and 20 480 km (25 600 and 12 800 miles); Grooves 2 and 3, the inside grooves, had important frequencies at 10 240, 13 760, and 20 480 km (6400, 8600, and 12 800 miles), with Groove 4 being similar. A hypothesis is offered as a possible explanation for the phenomenon.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 617
Author(s):  
Dong Hu ◽  
Yuping Huang ◽  
Qiang Zhang ◽  
Lijian Yao ◽  
Zidong Yang ◽  
...  

Spatial-frequency domain imaging (SFDI) is a wide-field, noncontact, and label-free imaging modality that is currently being explored as a new means for estimating optical absorption and scattering properties of two-layered turbid materials. The accuracy of SFDI for optical property estimation, however, depends on light transfer model and inverse algorithm. This study was therefore aimed at providing theoretical analyses of the diffusion model and inverse algorithm through numerical simulation, so as to evaluate the potential for estimating optical absorption and reduced scattering coefficients of two-layered horticultural products. The effect of varying optical properties on reflectance prediction was first simulated, which indicated that there is good separation in diffuse reflectance over a large range of spatial frequencies for different reduced scattering values in the top layer, whereas there is less separation in diffuse reflectance for different values of absorption in the top layer, and even less separation for optical properties in the bottom layer. To implement the nonlinear least-square method for extracting the optical properties of two-layered samples from Monte Carlo-generated reflectance, five curve fitting strategies with different constrained parameters were conducted and compared. The results confirmed that estimation accuracy improved as fewer variables were to be estimated each time. A stepwise method was thus suggested for estimating optical properties of two-layered samples. Four factors influencing optical property estimation of the top layer, which is the basis for accurately implementing the stepwise method, were investigated by generating absolute error contour maps. Finally, the relationship between light penetration depth and spatial frequency was studied. The results showed that penetration depth decreased with the increased spatial frequency and also optical properties, suggesting that appropriate selection of spatial frequencies for a stepwise method to estimate optical properties from two-layered samples provides potential for estimation accuracy improvement. This work lays a foundation for improving optical property estimation of two-layered horticultural products using SFDI.


1989 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 351-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. D. Glezer ◽  
V. V. Yakovlev ◽  
V. E. Gauzelman

AbstractThe number of subregions in the activity profiles of simple cells varies in different cells from 2–8; that is, the number of cycles in the weighting function varies from 1–4. The distribution of receptive-field (RF) sizes at eccentricities of 0-6 deg are clustered at half-octave intervals and form a discrete distribution with maxima at 0.62, 0.9, 1.24, 1.8, 2.48, and 3.4 deg. The spatial frequencies to which the cells are tuned are also clustered at half-octave intervals, forming a discrete distribution peaking at 0.45, 0.69, 0.9, 1.35, 1.88, 2.7, 3.8, and 5.6 cycles/deg. If we divide the RF sizes by the size of the period of the subregions, then the average indices of complexity (really existing) or the number of cycles in the weighting function form (after normalization) the sequences: 1, 1.41, 2.0, 2.9, 4.15.The relation between the bandwidth of the spatial-frequency characteristic and the optimal spatial frequency is in accordance with predictions of the Fourier hypothesis. The absolute bandwidth does not change with the number of cycles/module. This means that inside the module the absolute bandwidth does not change with the number of the harmonic. The results allow us to suggest the following. A module of the striate cortex, which is a group of cells with RFs of equal size projected onto the same area of central visual field, accounts for the Fourier description of the image. The basis functions of the module are composed of four harmonics only, irrespective of size and position of the module.Besides linear cells (sinusoidal and cosinusoidal elements), the module contains nonlinear cells, performing a nonlinear summation of the responses of sinusoidal and cosinusoidal elements. Such cells are characterized by an index of complexity which is more than the number of cycles in the weighting function and by marked overlap of ON and OFF zones. The analysis of organization suggests that the cells can measure the amplitude and phase of the stimulus.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 240-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
József Varga ◽  
Zsolt Szabo

Logan's graphical model is a robust estimation of the total distribution volume (DVt) of reversibly bound radiopharmaceuticals, but the resulting DVt values decrease with increasing noise. The authors hypothesized that the noise dependence can be reduced by a linear regression model that minimizes the sum of squared perpendicular rather than vertical ( y) distances between the data points and fitted straight line. To test the new method, 15 levels of simulated noise (repeated 2,000 times) were added to synthetic tissue activity curves, calculated from two different sets of kinetic parameters. Contrary to the traditional method, there was no ( P > 0.05) or dramatically decreased noise dependence with the perpendicular model. Real dynamic 11C (+) McN5652 serotonin transporter binding data were processed either by applying Logan analysis to average counts of large areas or by averaging the Logan slopes of individual-voxel data. There were no significant differences between the parameters when the perpendicular regression method was used with both approaches. The presented experiments show that the DVt calculated from the Logan plot is much less noise dependent if the linear regression model accounts for errors in both the x and y variables, allowing fast creation of unbiased parametric images from dynamic positron-emission tomography studies.


1998 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 585-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
CONG YU ◽  
DENNIS M. LEVI

A psychophysical analog to cortical receptive-field end-stopping has been demonstrated previously in spatial filters tuned to a wide range of spatial frequencies (Yu & Levi, 1997a). The current study investigated tuning characteristics in psychophysical spatial filter end-stopping. When a D6 (the sixth derivative of a Gaussian) target is masked by a center mask (placed in the putative spatial filter center), two end-zone masks (placed in the filter end-zones) reduce thresholds. This “end-stopping” effect (the reduction of masking induced by end-zone masks) was measured at various spatial frequencies and orientations of end-zone masks. End-stopping reached its maximal strength when the spatial frequency and/or orientation of the end-zone masks matched the spatial frequency and/or orientation of the target and center mask, showing spatial-frequency tuning and orientation tuning. The bandwidths of spatial-frequency and orientation tuning functions decreased with increasing target spatial frequency. At larger orientation differences, however, end-zone masks induced a secondary facilitation effect, which was maximal when the spatial frequency of end-zone masks equated the target spatial frequency. This facilitation effect might be related to certain types of contour and texture perception, such as perceptual pop-out.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 7384
Author(s):  
Charlotte Brandebusemeyer ◽  
Anna Ricarda Luther ◽  
Sabine U. König ◽  
Peter König ◽  
Silke M. Kärcher

Spatial orientation and navigation depend primarily on vision. Blind people lack this critical source of information. To facilitate wayfinding and to increase the feeling of safety for these people, the “feelSpace belt” was developed. The belt signals magnetic north as a fixed reference frame via vibrotactile stimulation. This study investigates the effect of the belt on typical orientation and navigation tasks and evaluates the emotional impact. Eleven blind subjects wore the belt daily for seven weeks. Before, during and after the study period, they filled in questionnaires to document their experiences. A small sub-group of the subjects took part in behavioural experiments before and after four weeks of training, i.e., a straight-line walking task to evaluate the belt’s effect on keeping a straight heading, an angular rotation task to examine effects on egocentric orientation, and a triangle completion navigation task to test the ability to take shortcuts. The belt reduced subjective discomfort and increased confidence during navigation. Additionally, the participants felt safer wearing the belt in various outdoor situations. Furthermore, the behavioural tasks point towards an intuitive comprehension of the belt. Altogether, the blind participants benefited from the vibrotactile belt as an assistive technology in challenging everyday situations.


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghaith Tarawneh ◽  
Vivek Nityananda ◽  
Ronny Rosner ◽  
Steven Errington ◽  
William Herbert ◽  
...  

AbstractRecently, we showed a novel property of the Hassenstein-Reichardt detector: namely, that insect motion detection can be masked by “invisible” noise, i.e. visual noise presented at spatial frequencies to which the animals do not respond when presented as a signal. While this study compared the effect of noise on human and insect motion perception, it used different ways of quantifying masking in two species. This was because the human studies measured contrast thresholds, which were too time-consuming to acquire in the insect given the large number of stimulus parameters examined. Here, we run longer experiments in which we obtained contrast thresholds at just two signal and two noise frequencies. We examine the increase in threshold produced by noise at either the same frequency as the signal, or a different frequency. We do this in both humans and praying mantises (Sphodromantis lineola), enabling us to compare these species directly in the same paradigm. Our results confirm our earlier finding: whereas in humans, visual noise masks much more effectively when presented at the signal spatial frequency, in insects, noise is roughly equivalently effective whether presented at the same frequency or a lower frequency. In both species, visual noise presented at a higher spatial frequency is a less effective mask.Summary StatementWe here show that despite having similar motion detection systems, insects and humans differ in the effect of low and high spatial frequency noise on their contrast thresholds.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sean Youn ◽  
Corey Okinaka ◽  
Lydia M Mäthger

AbstractThe little skate Leucoraja erinacea has elaborately shaped pupils, whose characteristics and functions have not been studied extensively. It has been suggested that such pupil shapes may camouflage the eye; yet, no experimental evidence has been presented to support this claim. Skates are bottom-dwellers that often bury into the substrate with their eyes protruding. If these pupils serve any camouflage function, we expect there to be a pupillary response related to the spatial frequency (“graininess”) of the background against which the eye is viewed. Here, we tested whether skate pupils dilate or constrict in response to background spatial frequency. We placed skates on background substrates with different spatial frequencies and recorded pupillary responses at three light intensities. In experiment 1, the skates’ pupillary response to three artificial checkerboards of different spatial frequencies was recorded. Skates responded to changing light intensity with pupil dilation/constriction; yet, their pupils did not change in response to spatial frequency. In experiment 2, in which skates could bury into three natural substrates with different spatial frequencies, such that their eyes protruded above the substrate, the pupils showed a subtle but statistically significant response to changes in substrate spatial frequency. Given the same light intensity, the smaller the spatial frequency of the natural substrate, the more constricted the pupil. While light intensity is the primary factor determining pupil dilation, these experiments are the first to show that pupils also change in response to background spatial frequency, which suggests that the pupil may aid in camouflaging the eye.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 72-89
Author(s):  
D.S. Alekseeva ◽  
V.V. Babenko ◽  
D.V. Yavna

Visual perceptual representations are formed from the results of processing the input image in parallel pathways with different spatial-frequency tunings. It is known that these representations are created gradually, starting from low spatial frequencies. However, the order of information transfer from the perceptual representation to short-term memory has not yet been determined. The purpose of our study is to determine the principle of entering information of different spatial frequencies in the short-term memory. We used the task of unfamiliar faces matching. Digitized photographs of faces were filtered by six filters with a frequency tuning step of 1 octave. These filters reproduced the spatial-frequency characteristics of the human visual pathways. In the experiment, the target face was shown first. Its duration was variable and limited by a mask. Then four test faces were presented. Their presentation was not limited in time. The observer had to determine the face that corresponds to the target one. The dependence of the accuracy of the solution of the task on the target face duration for different ranges of spatial frequencies was determined. When the target stimuli were unfiltered (broadband) faces, the filtered faces were the test ones, and vice versa. It was found that the short-term memory gets information about an unfamiliar face in a certain order, starting from the medium spatial frequencies, and this sequence does not depend on the processing method (holistic or featural).


Perception ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1121-1136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lawrence K Cormack ◽  
Scott B Stevenson ◽  
David D Landers

Increasing the contrast of just one eye's image degrades stereothresholds; this phenomenon is referred to as the stereo contrast paradox. In experiment one, this paradox was found to be absent in dynamic random-element stereograms; thresholds were simply limited by the lower of the two eyes' contrasts. In experiment two, in which narrowband Gabor targets were used, the paradox was found to be strongest at relatively low spatial frequencies (1 cycle deg−1). As spatial frequency was increased, the paradox gradually disappeared. At relatively high spatial frequencies (5 cycles deg−1), thresholds were generally limited by the lower of the two eyes' contrasts, as was found for the dynamic noise targets. These results demonstrate the interactions of spatial frequency and contrast in binocular image combination and yield clues as to the different roles which high and low spatial frequencies may play in stereopsis.


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