Different mechanisms for the learning of motion detection vs. the learning of motion direction discrimination

In classical apparent motion, a spot of light is presented in alternation such that the waveforms describing the varying luminance at each of two locations are 180° out of phase. However, when the luminance variation at each location is approximately sinusoidal, and the perceiver's task is to discriminate motion direction, the optimum temporal phase is 90° (van Santen and Sperling, 1984 Journal of the Optical Society of America A1 451 – 473). The results reported in this study suggest that the optimality of the 90° temporal phase may be specific to the direction-discrimination task. Our experiments were based on a new procedure for measuring classical apparent motion thresholds (Hock, Kogan, and Espinoza, 1996, paper presented at ARVO). Two horizontally displaced dots are presented simultaneously against a darker background. The luminance ( L1) of one dot is always greater than that of the other ( L2), and the luminance values for the dots are exchanged on successive frames. Whether motion or stationarity is perceived depends on the background-relative luminance contrast (BRLC): ( L1- L2) divided by the difference between the average [( L1+ L2)/2] and background luminance. We found in the current study that motion thresholds depend on the temporal phase of the luminance variation at each location (rather than temporal asynchrony); the greater the phase difference (from 41° to 180°) the less the BRLC required for motion perception. At suprathreshold BRLC values, the perceived speed of apparent motion decreases with increased differences in temporal phase. The results are discussed in terms of Reichardt-type motion detection models.

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Motion Direction Discrimination with Tactile Random-Dot Kinematograms

i-Perception ◽

10.1177/20416695211004620 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 204166952110046

Author(s):

Scinob Kuroki ◽

Shin’ya Nishida

Keyword(s):

Motion Detection ◽

Visual Motion ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Sensory Function ◽

Human Observer ◽

Motion Sensing ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Low Level ◽

Direction Discrimination ◽

High Level

Motion detection is a fundamental sensory function for multiple modalities, including touch, but the mechanisms underlying tactile motion detection are not well understood. While previous findings supported the existence of high-level feature tracking, it remains unclear whether there also exist low-level motion sensing that directly detects a local spatio-temporal correlation in the skin-stimulation pattern. To elucidate this mechanism, we presented, on braille displays, tactile random-dot kinematograms, similar to those widely used in visual motion research, which enables us to independently manipulate feature trackability and various parameters of local motion. We found that a human observer is able to detect the direction of difficult-to-track tactile motions presented to the fingers and palms. In addition, the direction-discrimination performance was better when the stimuli were presented along the fingers than when presented across the fingers. These results indicate that low-level motion sensing, in addition to high-level tracking, contribute to tactile motion perception.

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Electrophysiological aftereffects of high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS): an EEG investigation

Experimental Brain Research ◽

10.1007/s00221-021-06142-4 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Filippo Ghin ◽

Louise O’Hare ◽

Andrea Pavan

Keyword(s):

High Frequency ◽

Discrimination Task ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Random Noise ◽

Decomposition Analysis ◽

Oscillatory Activity ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Time Frequency ◽

Direction Discrimination ◽

Transcranial Random Noise Stimulation

AbstractThere is evidence that high-frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) is effective in improving behavioural performance in several visual tasks. However, so far there has been limited research into the spatial and temporal characteristics of hf-tRNS-induced facilitatory effects. In the present study, electroencephalogram (EEG) was used to investigate the spatial and temporal dynamics of cortical activity modulated by offline hf-tRNS on performance on a motion direction discrimination task. We used EEG to measure the amplitude of motion-related VEPs over the parieto-occipital cortex, as well as oscillatory power spectral density (PSD) at rest. A time–frequency decomposition analysis was also performed to investigate the shift in event-related spectral perturbation (ERSP) in response to the motion stimuli between the pre- and post-stimulation period. The results showed that the accuracy of the motion direction discrimination task was not modulated by offline hf-tRNS. Although the motion task was able to elicit motion-dependent VEP components (P1, N2, and P2), none of them showed any significant change between pre- and post-stimulation. We also found a time-dependent increase of the PSD in alpha and beta bands regardless of the stimulation protocol. Finally, time–frequency analysis showed a modulation of ERSP power in the hf-tRNS condition for gamma activity when compared to pre-stimulation periods and Sham stimulation. Overall, these results show that offline hf-tRNS may induce moderate aftereffects in brain oscillatory activity.

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The design of CMOS real-time motion-direction detection chip with BJT-based silicon-retina sensors and correlation-based motion detection algorithm

ICECS 2001. 8th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (Cat. No.01EX483) ◽

10.1109/icecs.2001.957694 ◽

2002 ◽

Author(s):

Chung-Yu Wu ◽

Kuan-Hsun Huang ◽

Li-Ju Lin

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Motion Detection ◽

Detection Algorithm ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Time Motion ◽

Silicon Retina ◽

Direction Detection

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Moderate acute alcohol intoxication has minimal effect on surround suppression measured with a motion direction discrimination task

Journal of Vision ◽

10.1167/15.1.5 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

pp. 5-5 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

J. C. A. Read ◽

R. Georgiou ◽

C. Brash ◽

P. Yazdani ◽

R. Whittaker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Discrimination Task ◽

Alcohol Intoxication ◽

Acute Alcohol Intoxication ◽

Minimal Effect ◽

Surround Suppression ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Direction Discrimination

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Human Updating of Visual Motion Direction During Head Rotations

Journal of Neurophysiology ◽

10.1152/jn.00931.2007 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 99 (5) ◽

pp. 2558-2576

Author(s):

Mario Ruiz-Ruiz ◽

Julio C. Martinez-Trujillo

Keyword(s):

Visual Motion ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Head Tilt ◽

Head Rotation ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

Spatial Updating ◽

Motion Direction ◽

Direction Discrimination ◽

Head Rotations ◽

Stimulus Direction

Previous studies have demonstrated that human subjects update the location of visual targets for saccades after head and body movements and in the absence of visual feedback. This phenomenon is known as spatial updating. Here we investigated whether a similar mechanism exists for the perception of motion direction. We recorded eye positions in three dimensions and behavioral responses in seven subjects during a motion task in two different conditions: when the subject's head remained stationary and when subjects rotated their heads around an anteroposterior axis (head tilt). We demonstrated that after head-tilt subjects updated the direction of saccades made in the perceived stimulus direction (direction of motion updating), the amount of updating varied across subjects and stimulus directions, the amount of motion direction updating was highly correlated with the amount of spatial updating during a memory-guided saccade task, subjects updated the stimulus direction during a two-alternative forced-choice direction discrimination task in the absence of saccadic eye movements (perceptual updating), perceptual updating was more accurate than motion direction updating involving saccades, and subjects updated motion direction similarly during active and passive head rotation. These results demonstrate the existence of an updating mechanism for the perception of motion direction in the human brain that operates during active and passive head rotations and that resembles the one of spatial updating. Such a mechanism operates during different tasks involving different motor and perceptual skills (saccade and motion direction discrimination) with different degrees of accuracy.

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