Human sensitivity to task-relevant features in speed discrimination

We measured speed discrimination for isoluminant red - green and luminance-defined moving stimuli. The horizontal profile of the stimuli was a Gabor function with a carrier frequency of 2 cycles deg−1. The standard stimulus was a luminance stimulus with a fixed speed of 2 deg s−1 and a fixed contrast of 0.1. The comparison stimuli were either luminance stimuli (cone contrasts: 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4) or chromatic stimuli (cone contrasts: 0.025, 0.05, 0.1). The speed of the comparison stimuli was varied by an adaptive procedure. After each trial the observer indicated which of the 2 intervals contained the slower moving stimulus. The stimuli always moved horizontally and the direction was chosen randomly at each trial. The main findings were: (i) For luminance stimuli, the perceived speed was independent of contrast (ranging from 0.1 to 0.4). For colour stimuli, the perceived speed increased with contrast for two out of four observers. (ii) The sensitivity for speed discrimination was independent of contrast for luminance and for colour stimuli. (iii) There was no consistent difference in speed discrimination sensitivity between colour and luminance stimuli when the stimuli were equated in cone contrast.

Download Full-text

Short-Term Memory for Speed

Perception ◽

10.1068/v96l0808 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 25 (1_suppl) ◽

pp. 156-156

Author(s):

P Thompson ◽

R Stone ◽

E Walton

Keyword(s):

Spatial Frequency ◽

Short Term Memory ◽

Temporal Frequency ◽

Frequency Discrimination ◽

Sine Wave ◽

Short Term ◽

Term Memory ◽

Visual Short Term Memory ◽

Speed Discrimination ◽

Sine Wave Gratings

We have measured the retention of information about stimulus speed in visual short-term memory by measuring speed discrimination in a two-interval forced-choice task. We have also measured such discrimination in conditions where a ‘memory masker’ is presented during the interstimulus interval (ISI) in a fashion analogous to the experiment of Magnussen et al (1991 Vision Research31 1213 – 1219). Magnussen et al found that spatial frequency discrimination was disrupted when the mask had a spatial frequency that differed from the test spatial frequency by an octave or more. We have investigated the speed discrimination of 8 Hz, 1 cycle deg−1 drifting sine-wave gratings with the following drifting masks presented in the ISI: (i) 8 Hz 1 cycle deg−1, same direction as the test; (ii) 8 Hz, 8 cycles deg−1, opposite direction to the test; (iii) 8 Hz, 8 cycles deg−1, same direction as the test; (iv) 24 Hz, 3 cycles deg−1, same direction as the test. These masks were chosen to investigate whether the temporal frequency, the spatial frequency, the speed, or the direction of motion of the mask affected retention. We found that in none of these conditions was the discrimination of the test gratings impaired significantly. This pattern of results is therefore different from that found with spatial frequency discrimination and suggests that, whatever mechanism is responsible for the retention of information about speed, it is different from that responsible for the retention of information about spatial frequency.

Download Full-text

Human Brain Regions Involved in Visual Discriminations

Perception ◽

10.1068/v970012 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 26 (1_suppl) ◽

pp. 298-298

Author(s):

G A Orban

Keyword(s):

Visual System ◽

Human Visual System ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Orientation Discrimination ◽

National Academy Of Sciences ◽

Temporal Comparison ◽

Dot Motion ◽

Speed Discrimination ◽

Academy Of Sciences ◽

Visual Discriminations

We have used simple visual discriminations as a tool to investigate the human visual system with PET and fMRI. In discrimination tasks, stimuli in which an attribute is defined by a cue are presented in a position in the visual field and the subjects compare the stimuli with each other or with a standard. We have manipulated each of these four aspects. Manipulation of stimulus position engages visuo-spatial attention mechanisms in parietal and frontal cortex (Vandenberghe et al, 1996 Brain119 1263 – 1276; 1997 Journal of Neuroscience in press). Manipulation of the cue has revealed the kinetic occipital (KO) region involved in the processing of kinetic contours (Orban et al, 1995 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA92 993 – 997; Dupont et al, 1997 Cerebral Cortex in press). Using luminance-defined patterns presented centrally and contrasting successive orientation discrimination with identification we have demonstrated the involvement of right fusiform cortex in temporal comparison of orientation (Orban et al, 1997 European Journal of Neurosciences9 246 – 259). The same region is involved in spatial comparison of orientation as well as in temporal comparison of speed and direction of random-dot motion. This set of experiments shows that processing in the human visual system depends not only on the attribute used but also on the nature of the task to be performed. The direction and speed discrimination experiments also reveal the involvement of the lingual motion area in these tasks, but surprisingly very little involvement of human MT/V5.

Download Full-text