bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Monocular Regions in Stereoscopic Displays
Authors: Gillam Barbara , Borsting Eric
Published: January 2007

Random-dot stereograms of an object standing out from a background always contain a monocular region at the side of the foreground object. This is equivalent to the monocularly occluded part of the background in the real-life viewing of one object in front of another. The role of these monocular regions in the stereoscopic process has not been investigated previously, although it is generally assumed that they are a source of difficulty in stereoscopic resolution because of the unmatchable texture within them. The basis of the present study was a prediction that the presence of texture within these regions would facilitate rather than retard stereoscopic processing. This prediction follows from a hypothesis that stereoscopic processing is initially located at disparity discontinuities. Unmatched regions are only found at such discontinuities, and could serve to locate them.
Apparent Movements Induced by Luminance Modulations: A Model Study
Authors: Mastebroek Henk A K , Zaagman Willem H
Published: January 2007

When the receptive-field profiles of the different units in the primary visual cortex are described by a series of different functions which are given by a Gaussian distribution and its first, second, and so on, spatial derivatives, a full analysis of the input—output processing of these units (under the assumption of linearity for small signals) can be achieved for a wide variety of optical stimuli consisting of closely adjacent fields modulated independently in intensity. Once the input—output relationship for one particular unit has been obtained, it is possible to calculate in a straightforward manner the spatial representation of the stimulus pattern in a two-dimensional distribution of such units. Investigations are reported into how a stimulus pattern (a dark or bright bar between two fields modulated in illuminance) is represented in a hierarchical structure of such layers of units, each layer containing just one type of receptive-field profile from the Gaussian family of derivatives. It is shown that if a visual percept is associated with the behaviour of the extrema or zero-crossings of the representations in the first few layers of such an architecture, a complete description can be given of the experimental results obtained by Gregory and Heard in their psychophysical experiments on illusory movement perception induced by luminance intensity modulations.
An Orientation Anisotropy in Induced Brightness
Authors: Moulden Bernard , Kingdom Fred
Published: January 2007

It is shown that an orientation anisotropy exists for the magnitude of induced brightness in a cruciform stimulus consisting of a grey test patch positioned at the intersection of two inducing bars, one black and one white, oriented at right angles to each other. When the cruciform was oriented such that the white bar was horizontal, the grey patch appeared darker than when the same cruciform was oriented such that the white bar was vertical. The contribution of the black and white inducing bars towards the brightness of the test patch was investigated. A simple mathematical function, which took into account both the contribution of the two component inducing bars and the orientation anisotropy, was fitted to the data. No consistent orientation anisotropy was found with inducing stimuli at oblique orientations.
Context Superiority in a Detection Task with Line-Element Stimuli: A Low-Level Effect
Authors: Gorea Andrei , Julesz Bela
Published: January 2007

Detection and identification performances for vertical and horizontal target elements embedded within an array of oriented noise elements were measured as a function of the orientation difference between the target and noise elements. Detection performances obtained with one vertical and three horizontal target elements clustered together and displayed such that they formed a schematic face-like pattern were significantly better than those obtained with the same clustered target elements displayed in an arbitrary, symmetrical or asymmetrical, configuration. This was so even though the identification of the face and nonface stimuli was well below the detection threshold of their parts. Detection thresholds for the clustered nonface patterns were slightly but significantly lower than those for the same target elements dispersed among the noise elements. Probability summation calculations based on the detection results obtained with one single target element predict detection thresholds which are intermediate between those of the clustered and dispersed targets, suggesting that inhibitory and facilitatory spatial interactions respectively are at work for the two types of stimuli. The existence of a context(face)-superiority effect at the detection level indicates top-down/bottom-up interactions between remote visual processing stages.
The Binocular Representation of Uniform Motion
Authors: Swanston Michael T , Wade Nicholas J , Ono Hiroshi
Published: January 2007

In the model of motion perception proposed by Swanston, Wade, and Day (1987, Perception 16 143–159) it was suggested that retinocentric motion and eye movement information are combined independently for each eye, to give left and right orbitocentric representations of movement. The weighted orbitocentric values are then added, to give a single egocentric representation. It is shown that for a physical motion observed without pursuit eye movements this formulation predicts a reduction in the perceived extent of motion with monocular as opposed to binocular viewing. This prediction was tested, and shown to be incorrect. Accordingly, a modification of the model is proposed, in which the left and right retinocentric signals are weighted according to the presence or absence of stimulation, and combined to give a binocular retinocentric representation. In a similar way left-eye and right-eye position signals are combined to give a single binocular eye movement signal for version. This is then added to the binocular retinocentric signal to give the egocentric representation. This modification provides a unified account of both static visual direction and movement perception.
Wheels: A New Illusion in the Perception of Rolling Objects
Authors: Vicario Giovanni B , Bressan Paola
Published: January 2007

A new illusory effect is described which consists of a conspicuous perceptual over-estimation of the speed at which a wheel rolling across an observer's visual field appears to be rotating. Wheels appear to revolve much faster than is compatible with their linear displacement. Experimental verification of the genuineness and magnitude of the effect is reported, along with a discussion of some of the variables upon which it may depend.
Mueller-Lyer Decrement: Practice or Prolonged Inspection?
Authors: Schiano Diane J , Jordan Kevin
Published: January 2007

Noting the similarity between the illusion decrement and selective adaptation paradigms, Long has challenged the view that illusion decrement effects reflect a strategic—as opposed to a structural—underlying mechanism, and has called for further research on this issue. To investigate the confound between prolonged free inspection and repeated trials in the standard decrement procedure, the effects of three inspection conditions (continuous, intermittent, and immediate) on the magnitude of the overestimation Mueller-Lyer illusion have been assessed under two levels of trials (a total of two or six judgments). Significant illusion decline was found only under conditions of repeated trials, with either continuous or intermittent inspection. These findings do not support the predictions of purely structural theories (including neural adaptation and efferent readiness theories), according to which degree of decrement should be determined solely by viewing time. Instead, the data demonstrate that illusion decrement is a product of practice, providing converging evidence for the view of decrement as involving a cognitive ‘recalibration’ or learning process.
The Magic Wand: A New Stereokinetic Anomalous Surface
Authors: Zanforlin Mario , Vallortigara Giorgio
Published: January 2007

When a disc with two dots stuck on it a few centimetres apart is set in slow rotatory motion, the two dots appear displaced in depth and rigidly connected to form the two extremities of a rod. The rod appears as a diaphanous transparent object, slightly tinted to the same colour as the dots. Experimental analysis of the phenomenon shows that it is different from previously observed ‘moving phantoms’, ‘motion-induced contours’, and ‘stereokinetic induced phantoms’. But it shows similarities with all three phenomena: the colour spreading along the apparent rod is facilitated by low illumination and is clearly visible under high illumination with bright colours only; it is seen only when the two dots appear to move with apparent displacement in depth and not when they appear to lie on the plane of the disc. When line-drawn circles instead of full colour dots are used, the anomalous surface of the rod appears to have colourless vitreous transparency. With half-line circles it is clearly visible as an opaque rod of the same colour as the background. When squares or diamonds are used instead of dots, a three-dimensional prism can be observed which has similar appearance to the rod.
Effects of Direction and Magnitude of Horizontal Disparities on Binocular Unmasking
Authors: Moraglia Giampaolo , Schneider Bruce
Published: January 2007

Conditions under which binocular unmasking (BU), as an analogue of binaural unmasking, occurs have been explored. Observers were to detect through a stereoscope a Gabor signal in patches of two-dimensional broadband gaussian noise surrounded by a frame of uniform noise. The right-eye gaussian field was displaced relative to the left eye so that it appeared either in front of or behind the frame. Performance when signal disparity was equal to that of the noise—a condition functionally equivalent to monocular processing—was compared to that obtained when signal disparity was zero—a case in which BU should occur. Enhanced signal detectability of up to 12 dB and of nearly constant magnitude was observed in the latter condition when uncrossed disparities of up to 67.60 min visual angle and display durations of 1 s were employed. Signal detectability declined appreciably with increasing disparity (both crossed and uncrossed) when display duration was reduced to 90 ms, thus preventing the occurrence of compensatory vergence eye movements. It is suggested that BU effects may result from a process of linear summation of monocular inputs.
Distinctiveness and Expertise Effects with Homogeneous Stimuli: Towards a Model of Configural Coding
Authors: Rhodes Gillian , McLean Ian G
Published: January 2007

Recent studies using Brennan's computerized caricature generator have demonstrated distinctiveness effects consistent with the idea that faces are coded in terms of their individual distinctive properties. Based on these findings it is suggested that, for homogeneous classes whose members share a common configuration, distinctive configural information may be coded as metric deviations from a spatial norm. Experiments are described which demonstrate similar distinctiveness effects in bird identification. Transformations that increase distinctiveness (caricatures) produced faster identification and a higher recognition proportion, for both experts and nonexperts, than transformations that reduce distinctiveness (anticaricatures). This distinctiveness advantage is consistent with the norm-based coding idea. Furthermore, within certain limits, increasing distinctiveness did not impair performance relative to that for veridical drawings. For experts there was also a caricature advantage, such that 50% caricatures of birds in a highly homogeneous and familiar class (passerines) were identified more quickly, provided that they were recognized at all, than uncaricatured veridical drawings. The significance of a caricature advantage for the visual coding of configural information is discussed.
Figural Conditions Affecting the Formation of Anomalous Surfaces: Overall Configuration versus Single Stimulus Part
Authors: Purghé Franco , Katsaras Petros
Published: January 2007

Two kinds of figural condition affecting the formation of anomalous surfaces were examined in three experiments. The strengths of two factors (figural incompleteness and width of the inducing areas) were compared in order to determine: i) which of the two factors is more effective in the creation of the illusion, and ii) whether the inducing-area width is so important that it can also destroy the illusion when the inducers are clearly incomplete or ‘gappy’. The results show that the inducing-area width seems to predominate over figural incompleteness in the formation of anomalous surfaces.
Looking for a Structural Network: Effects of Changing Size and Style on Letter Recognition
Authors: Sanocki Thomas
Published: January 2007

The accuracy of identifying backward-masked strings of unrelated letters was measured to test a prediction of a structural network model in which information about the absolute size of letters in a font is factored out from other types of information and is represented by a single size parameter. In this model, variation from block to block in the font size should be handled relatively easily by changing this parameter. In contrast, variation in several aspects of the font style would require changing multiple parameters and should be more difficult. In three experiments, the font was alternated in style, size, size and style, or not at all, at the end of each block of eight trials. The accuracy was lower overall when the font was varied, but contrary to the predictions of the model, variation in size reduced the accuracy of performance as much as did variation in style and variation in size and style.
Is Amodal Completion Necessary for the Formation of Illusory Figures?
Authors: Purghé Franco
Published: January 2007

Kanizsa's hypothesis suggests that the creation of an anomalous surface is due to the amodal completion of the inducers. In the present paper a new pattern that is able to disconfirm this explanation is presented. According to the Helmholtz—Ratoosh law amodal completion only occurs when the borders of two adjacent surfaces meet forming T-shaped junctions. When the borders of the two adjacent surfaces have Y-shaped junctions, amodal completion is absent. However, when a pattern inducing an anomalous figure has the latter figural characteristics, in spite of the absence of amodal completion, an illusory figure is still visible. In this paper a set of experimental results (carried out by means of a magnitude estimation procedure as well as the method of constant stimuli) supporting the aforementioned observations is presented.
Visual Judgements and Misjudgements in Cricket, and the Art of Flight
Authors: Regan David
Published: January 2007

To hit the ball with the centre of percussion of a bat so that the ball goes where he intends it to go, a batsman must estimate visually where the ball will be at a specific future time (when), and coordinate his swing accordingly. A number of visual cues are available to the batsman. Retinal image information provides an accurate indication of time to contact (ie when), even when the trajectory of the ball is inclined to the line of sight, and there is evidence that the human visual system is specifically sensitive to time-to-contact information. But only part of the necessary information about position (ie where) is available to the batsman. If the batsman's head is directly in the line of flight, the velocity ratio of the retinal images in the left and right eyes provides a precise cue to the trajectory of the ball in the horizontal plane. However, humans have only poor visual sensitivities to the absolute distance and to the line-of-sight velocity of a ball. Therefore, a batsman has inadequate retinal image information about the absolute vertical velocity of a ball. It is suggested in this paper that batsmen supplement inadequate retinal image information about where the ball will hit the ground with prior knowledge built up over the preceding few deliveries. Some slow bowlers can induce the batsman to misjudge where the ball will hit the ground. I suggest that these bowlers manipulate the flight of the ball so as to induce the batsman to supplement his inadequate retinal image information with inappropriate prior knowledge, and thus to misinterpret the vertical angular speed of the retinal image of the ball.
The First Pictures: Perceptual Foundations of Paleolithic Art
Authors: Halverson John
Published: January 2007

Paleolithic representational art has a number of consistent characteristics: the subjects are almost always animals, depicted without scenic background, usually in profile, and mostly in outline; the means of representation are extremely economical, often consisting of only a few strokes that indicate the salient features of the animal which are sufficient to suggest the whole form; and it is naturalistic to a degree, but lacks anything like photographic realism. Two elementary questions are raised in this essay: (i) why did the earliest known attempts at depiction have just these characteristics and not others? and (ii) how are objects so minimally represented recognizable? The answers seem to lie with certain fundamental features of visual perception, especially figure—ground distinction, Gestalt principles of closure and good continuation, line surrogacy, component feature analysis, and canonical imaging. In the earliest pictures the graphic means used are such that they evoke the same visual responses as those involved in the perception of real-world forms, but eschew redundancies of color, texture, linear perspective, and completeness of representation.
Finding Locations in the Environment: The Map as Mediator
Authors: Warren David H , Scott Teres E , Medley Cindy
Published: January 2007

When an observer (O) uses a map (M) whose orientation does not correspond to the orientation of the environment (E) in which performance occurs, substantial errors occur: these are called map alignment effects. Much of the prior research on map/environment (M/E) alignment has involved maps of simple paths, although alignment effects have also been demonstrated for you-are-here (YAH) maps. A study is reported in which simple YAH maps were used to test the hypothesis that errors with misaligned maps would fall into categories predictable from the application of inappropriate cognitive operations to the misaligned maps, as demonstrated earlier by Rossano and Warren. Further, performance under conditions of M/E misalignment was compared with performance under map/observer (M/O) misalignment, the situation in which the map is sideways or upside-down with respect to the observer.

The major hypothesis was supported: predictable errors occurred under conditions of M/E misalignment. Errors under conditions of M/O misalignment were significantly smaller. Furthermore, when given the choice of using M/E or M/O alignment, each at the expense of the other, the overwhelming choice was to retain M/E rather than M/O alignment. This pattern of results occurred even when environmental features were represented by words rather than by lines and shapes on the map. The results underscore the robustness of map alignment effects.
Colour Inputs to Random-Dot Stereopsis
Authors: Stuart Geoffrey W , Edwards Mark , Cook Michael L
Published: January 2007

Recently it has been claimed by Livingstone and Hubel that, of three anatomically and functionally distinct visual channels (the magnocellular, parvocellular interblob, and blob channels), only the magnocellular channel is involved in the processing of stereoscopic depth. Since the magnocellular system shows little overt colour opponency, the reported loss of the ability to resolve random-dot stereograms defined only by colour contrast seems consistent with this view. However, Julesz observed that reversed-contrast stereograms could be fused if correlated colour information was added. In the present study, ‘noise’ (non-corresponding) pixels were injected into random-dot stereograms in order to increase fusion time. All six subjects tested were able to achieve stereopsis in less than three minutes when there was only correspondence in colour and not in luminance, and three when luminance contrast was completely reversed. This ability depends on information about the direction of colour contrast, not just the presence of chromatic borders. When luminance and chromatic contrast are defined in terms of signal-to-noise ratios at the photoreceptor mosaic, chromatic information plays at least as important a role in stereopsis as does luminance information, suggesting that the magnocellular channel is not uniquely involved.
Visible Persistence is Reduced by Fixed-Trajectory Motion but Not by Random Motion
Authors: Watamaniuk Scott N J
Published: January 2007

Despite the sluggish temporal response of the human visual system, moving objects appear clear and without blur, which suggests that visible persistence is reduced when objects move. It has been argued that spatiotemporal proximity alone can account for this modulation of visible persistence and that activation of a motion mechanism per se is not necessary. Experiments are reported which demonstrate that there is a motion-specific influence on visible persistence. Specifically, points moving in constant directions, or fixed trajectories, show less persistence than points moving with the same spatial and temporal displacements but taking random walks, randomly changing direction each frame. Subjects estimated the number of points present in the display for these two types of motion conditions. Under conditions chosen to produce ‘good’ apparent motion, ie small temporal and spatial increments, the apparent number of points for the fixed-trajectory condition was significantly lower than the apparent number in the random-walk condition. The traditional explanation of the suppression of persistence based on the spatiotemporal proximity of objects cannot account for these results. The enhanced suppression of persistence observed for a target moving in a consistent direction depends upon the activation of a directionally tuned motion mechanism extended over space and time.
Neon Colour Spreading with and without its Figural Prerequisites
Authors: Bressan Paola
Published: January 2007

Neon colour spreading has been shown to disappear if certain figural conditions are not met. Evidence is presented which suggests that these conditions are only incidentally related to the neon spreading effect; in particular, that they can be violated as long as the structure remains compatible with the interpretation of a transparent surface. It is proposed that neon spreading and classical colour assimilation share the same basic mechanism, and that the peculiar perceptual attributes of the former derive from the perceptual scissioning of ordinary assimilation colour. This process is identical to that occurring with nonillusory colours in phenomenal transparency.
Smooth Pursuit along a Solid Line: A New Variation on the Theme of Efference-Copy-Bound Eye Tracking
Authors: Lamontagne Claude , Desjardins François J , Pivik R T
Published: January 2007

Theoretical considerations of the physiology of eye tracking have long implied that the kinematics of smooth pursuit need not parallel those of the pursued target, with pursuit in the absence of a physically moving target as an extreme case. Yet these theoretical implications have been largely ignored, with the consequence that observed kinematic discrepancies between target and pursuit have generally been presented as somewhat surprising, and this view has maintained unnecessary diversity among reported smooth-pursuit phenomena. The case of yet another stimulus-discrepant smooth-pursuit phenomenon is presented and is used to suggest a role which recognized eye-tracking theory might advantageously play in classifying smooth-pursuit phenomena. The new phenomenon, smooth pursuit along a stationary solid straight line under continuous illumination, was demonstrated in a study where eye movements were documented by continuous recordings of the electrooculogram. All twelve subjects were able to initiate smooth pursuit along the line and to maintain it in the absence of any other source of stimulation, and all reported experiencing apparent movement during smooth pursuit. It is suggested that smooth-pursuit phenomena can best be classified in terms of degree of efference-copy dependency.
Focal Visual Attention and Pattern Discrimination
Authors: Saarinen Jukka
Published: January 2007

Pattern discrimination in the presence of distractor patterns is improved when the stimulus display is preceded by a precue designating the location of the target pattern. Experiments were conducted to determine how big an improvement the precue produced. The specific question of whether the observer is able to process selectively the stimulus pattern in the cued location of the display and ignore the patterns of the noncued locations was addressed. In order to study this, reaction time for pattern discrimination on a blank background (no distractors) was compared with the reaction time when the observer performed the same discrimination task in the presence of distractors and a precue had indicated the location of the stimulus pattern to be discriminated. The results showed that these two reaction times were equal if the cue preceded the stimulus patterns at intervals which were longer than some minimum time. Hence, stimuli outside the ‘aperture’ of focal attention can be ignored. These results could not be attributed to eye movements, because the longest duration of the whole sequence of precue and stimulus patterns was only 200 ms.
The Possible Pain Experienced during Execution by Different Methods
Authors: Hillman Harold
Published: January 2007

The physiology and pathology of different methods of capital punishment are described. Information about this physiology and pathology can be derived from observations on the condemned persons, postmortem examinations, physiological studies on animals undergoing similar procedures, and the literature on emergency medicine. It is difficult to know how much pain the person being executed feels or for how long, because many of the signs of pain are obscured by the procedure or by physical restraints, but one can identify those steps which are likely to be painful. The general view has been that most of the methods used are virtually painless, and lead to rapid dignified death. Evidence is presented which shows that, with the possible exception of intravenous injection, this view is almost certainly wrong.
Apparent Motion Perception: The Contribution of the Binocular and Monocular Systems. An Improved Test Based on Motion Aftereffects
Authors: van Kruysbergen Noud A W H , de Weert Charles M M
Published: January 2007

Research concerning the perception of apparent motion is not easy to conduct: it is hard to obtain quantitative results that can be easily interpreted. A solution to this problem is the use of motion aftereffects (MAEs). Adapting subjects to a specific type of motion leads to apparent motion in the opposite direction when the stimulus is removed. However, subjects are aware of the change in stimulus conditions. A new dynamic test stimulus is proposed in order to avoid artefacts introduced by the awareness of the conditions by the subject. A model, derived from earlier observations, is described which includes contributions from monocular and binocular systems. Results from an experiment in which the dynamic test stimulus was used show that they do not necessarily reproduce the results obtained with a static test stimulus. Central monocular systems are added to the model to account for this discrepancy. The ‘pooling hypothesis’, which states that the MAE is a weighted mean of the processes involved, permits the estimation of the weights of the individual subsystems. The results of the experiments are explained in terms of this hypothesis by the new model.
The Effects of Visual Depth and Eccentricity on Manual Bias, Induced Motion, and Vection
Authors: Previc Fred H , Donnelly Michael
Published: January 2007

The relationship between the effects of visual-surround roll motion on compensatory manual tracking of a central display and the perceptual phenomena of induced motion and vection were investigated. To determine if manual-control biases generated in the direction of surround rotation compensate primarily for the perceived counterrotation of the central display (‘induced motion’) or the perceived counterrotation of the entire body (‘vection’), the depth and eccentricity of the visual surround were varied. In the first experiment, twelve subjects attempted to keep an unstable central display level while viewing rotating visual surrounds in three depth planes: near (∼20 cm in front of the central display), coplanar, and far (∼21 cm behind the central display). In the second experiment, twelve additional subjects viewed a rotating surround that was presented either in the full visual field (0–110 deg) or in central and peripheral regions of similar width. Manual-control biases and induced motion were shown to be closely related to one another and strongly influenced both by central and by peripheral surround motion at or beyond the plane of fixation. Vection, on the other hand, was shown to be much more dependent on peripheral visual inputs.
Barber-Pole Illusions and Plaids: The Influence of Aperture Shape on Motion Perception
Authors: Mussap Alexander J , Crassini Boris
Published: January 2007

The barber-pole illusion and its influence on plaid perception were investigated in two experiments to test the following expectations: (i) apertures which bias the perception of grating motion in directions consistent with plaid direction will facilitate plaid perception, and (ii) apertures which bias the perception of grating motion in directions inconsistent with plaid direction will disrupt plaid perception. In experiment 1 the barber-pole illusion was measured as a function of grating orientation (20°, 45°, and 70°, clockwise and counterclockwise from horizontal), and aperture shape (vertical, horizontal; at each of three elongations). Barber-pole illusions reported with 45° gratings increased with increased aperture elongation. However, this was not found with 20° and 70° gratings; these were almost always reported as moving in a direction parallel to the side of the aperture with which the gratings formed angles approaching 90°. In experiment 2 this dependence of barber-pole illusions on the relative orientation between gratings and apertures was also evident with 45° gratings in oblique apertures; only oblique directions of grating motion were reported. The influence of the same apertures on the separate contrast thresholds required for initial plaid coherence and initial plaid decomposition was measured. In experiments 1 and 2, coherence thresholds were unaffected by apertures, contrary to expectation (i). However, in both experiments expectation (ii) was confirmed; decomposition thresholds decreased in apertures which biased perceived direction of gratings towards vertical (plaid direction), and increased in apertures which biased grating motion away from vertical. Adaptation of plaid mechanisms during measurement of decomposition thresholds was proposed to explain the discrepancy between coherence and decomposition data. Taken together, the results were interpreted as reflecting interactions between mechanisms mediating the barber-pole illusion and mechanisms mediating plaid perception.
Perceived Motion of a Colored Spot in a Noisy Achromatic Background
Authors: Kumar T , Beutter Brent R , Glaser D A
Published: January 2007

It is shown that human observers can use color both for detecting and for discriminating motion. The contributions of chromaticity and luminance to the detection and discrimination of motion are investigated with a high-contrast, nonisoluminant stimulus. The motion stimulus is a rectangular ‘particle’ defined by its luminance and chromaticity, which moves against a background containing luminance noise. Although the luminance noise is found to make achromatic particles undetectable over a large range of luminances, the addition of color to a particle can render it detectable and also enable accurate speed discriminations to be made. The contributions of both luminance and chromaticity were measured. The effect of changing the hue angle of the particle as it moves was also examined, and it was found that the detectability of motion is low in that circumstance.
Visual–Tactual and Tactual–Visual Transfer between Objects and Pictures in 2-Month-Old Infants
Authors: Streri Arlette , Molina Michèle
Published: January 2007

Previous studies have provided evidence for transfer of perception of object shape from touch to vision, but not from vision to touch, in young infants. Previous studies also indicate that intermodal recognition can produce a preference either for a matching or for a nonmatching object. We investigated the causes of asymmetries in intermodal transfer and of familiarity preference versus novelty preference in transfer tasks. The data support three conclusions: (i) Transfer from vision to touch is possible under certain conditions and is facilitated by the use of two-dimensional (2-D) visual representations rather than three-dimensional (3-D) visual objects, (ii) The direction of preferences in a transfer task depends on the degree of dissimilarity between the haptically and visually presented objects. Familiarity preferences increase with increasing difference between the object to be recognised and the familiar object, (iii) Infants are able to perceive the 3-D shape of an object both visually and haptically, and they are sensitive both to commonalities and to discrepancies between the shapes of 3-D objects and of their 2-D representations. Hierarchical levels of perceptual processing are proposed to account for these findings.
On Interocular Transfer of Motion Aftereffects
Authors: Wade Nicholas J , Swanston Michael T , de Weert Charles M M
Published: January 2007

A brief history of quantitative assessments of interocular transfer (IOT) of the motion aftereffect (MAE) is presented. Recent research indicates that the MAE occurs as a consequence of adapting detectors for relative rather than retinal motion. When gratings above and below a stationary, fixated grating are moved in an otherwise dark field the central, retinally stationary grating appears to move in the opposite direction; when tested with stationary gratings an MAE is almost entirely confined to the central grating. The IOT of such an MAE was measured in experiment 1: the display was presented to one eye with a black field in the other. The IOT was about 30% of the monocular MAE. Similar values were found in experiment 2, in which the contralateral eye received an equivalent central stationary grating during adaptation and test. The dichoptic interaction of the processes involved in the MAE was examined by presenting the central gratings to both eyes and a single flanking grating above in one eye and below in the other (experiment 3). The MAE was tested with either the same or the contralateral pairing. Oppositely directed MAEs were found for the central and flanking gratings, but they were confined mainly to the conditions in which the configurations presented during adaptation were present in the same eyes during test. In experiment 4, the surround MAEs were compared after adaptation with two moving gratings in one eye or with a similar dichoptic configuration, and they were of similar duration. In a final experiment the MAE was tested either monocularly or binocularly after alternating adaptation of the left and right eyes and was found to be of the same duration. It is concluded that the MAE is a consequence of adapting relational-motion detectors, which are either monocular or of the binocular OR class.
Saccadic Eye Movements of Dyslexic and Normal Reading Children
Authors: Biscaldi Monica , Fischer Burkhart , Aiple Franz
Published: January 2007

Twenty-four children made saccades in five noncognitive tasks. Two standard tasks required saccades to a single target presented randomly 4 deg to the right or left of a fixation point. Three other tasks required sequential saccades from the left to the right. 75 parameters of the eye-movement data were collected for each child. On the basis of their reading, writing, and other cognitive performances, twelve children were considered dyslexic and were divided into two groups (D1 and D2). Group statistical comparisons revealed significant differences between control and dyslexic subjects. In general, in the standard tasks the dyslexic subjects had poorer fixation quality, failed more often to hit the target at once, had smaller primary saccades, and had shorter reaction times to the left as compared with the control group. The control group and group D1 dyslexics showed an asymmetrical distribution of reaction times, but in opposite directions. Group D2 dyslexics made more anticipatory and express saccades, they undershot the target more often in comparison with the control group, and almost never overshot it. In the sequential tasks group D1 subjects made fewer and larger saccades in a shorter time and group D2 subjects had shorter fixation durations than the subjects of the control group.
Coactivation and Statistical Facilitation in the Detection of Lines
Authors: Schwarz Wolfgang , Ischebeck Anja
Published: January 2007

The redundant-signals effect describes the general phenomenon that simple reaction times to two simultaneously presented signals are typically faster than the corresponding reaction times to each of the signals presented alone. Recent studies (eg Miller 1982, 1986) indicate that models of probability summation in which an independent detection of both signals is assumed cannot completely account for the observed shortening of the reaction times. Therefore, models in which some kind of coactivation is assumed are often considered as an alternative explanation. In the present study simple reaction times to parallel lines are compared with those to orthogonal lines and single lines. Our first hypothesis is that because of the redundant-signals effect, the reaction time to configurations consisting of two lines (either parallel or orthogonal) will generally be faster than the reaction time to a single line. Furthermore, line detection can be related to orientation-specific line detectors. Therefore, parallel lines may be thought to activate similar line detectors and, by coactivation, facilitate detection. As our second hypothesis we thus expect that the reaction time to parallel lines will be shorter than the reaction time to orthogonal lines. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a simple reaction-time experiment in which signal onset asynchronies ranging from 0 to ±56 ms for the orthogonal lines were used. In addition, reaction times to parallel lines and single lines were measured. Both hypotheses are supported by our data. We formulate a stochastic model which is able to explain both statistical facilitation and coactivation in a physiologically plausible way.
Convergence as a Cue for Distance
Authors: Logvinenko Alexander D , Belopolskii Viktor I
Published: January 2007

Binocular eye movements were measured in subjects experiencing the wallpaper illusion. It was found that a physical displacement of the fixation point by more than 1 m out of the plane of apparent localisation of the strips had no influence on the illusory location of these strips. Hence, illusory localisation in the wallpaper illusion is independent of the actual magnitude of the subject's convergence angle, once the illusion has come into existence. This result suggests that convergence does not serve as a source of information about apparent distance, at least in the wallpaper illusion.
From Geons to Structure. A Note on Object Representation
Authors: Leeuwenberg Emanuel , Van der Helm Peter , Van Lier Rob
Published: January 2007

Two models of object perception are compared: recognition by components (RBC), proposed by Biederman, and structural information theory (SIT), initially proposed by Leeuwenberg. According to RBC a complex object is decomposed into predefined elementary objects, called geons. According to SIT, the decomposition is guided by regularities in the object. It is assumed that the simplest of all possible interpretations of any object is perceptually preferred. The comparison deals with two aspects of the models. One is the representation of simple objects—various definitions of object axes are considered. It is shown that the more these definitions account for object regularity and thus the more they agree with SIT, the better the object representations predict object classification. Another topic concerns assumptions underlying the models: the identification of geons is mediated by cues which are supposed to be invariant under varying viewpoints of objects. It is argued that such cues are not based on this invariance but on the regularity of actual objects. The latter conclusion is in line with SIT. An advantage of RBC, however, is that it deals with the perceptual process from stimulus to interpretation, whereas SIT merely concerns the outcome of the process, not the process itself.
Integrating Global and Local Aspects of Visual Occlusion
Authors: van Lier Rob , van der Helm Peter , Leeuwenberg Emanuel
Published: January 2007

The phenomenon of visual occlusion has frequently been studied by means of two-dimensional line drawings. These drawings may elicit various interpretations. Sometimes a mosaic of shapes is seen, sometimes a shape that partly occludes another shape. In the latter case, observers often have a clear idea about the form of the partly occluded shape. Local and global pattern aspects both seem to be decisive with respect to the preferred interpretation. An attempt is made to integrate these aspects by applying the global-minimum principle to the perceptual complexity of three distinct components of those pattern interpretations: (i) The internal structure, dealing with each of the shapes separately, (ii) the external structure, dealing with the positional relation between these shapes, and (iii) the virtual structure, dealing with the occluded parts of the shapes. The perceptual complexity of each of these three components can be expressed in terms of structural information. The hypothesis that the perceptually preferred interpretation is the one for which the total information load is minimal is tested on many patterns stemming from different studies on pattern completion.
The Role of the Blobs in Determining the Perception of Drifting Plaids and Their Motion Aftereffects
Authors: Wenderoth Peter , Alais David , Burke Darren , van der Zwan Rick
Published: January 2007

Motion aftereffects (MAEs) can be induced by adaptation to a pair of differently oriented drifting gratings whether the gratings are presented simultaneously, as a coherent plaid, or in alternation. The fact that the former MAEs were generally larger than the latter led to the suggestion that simultaneous adaptation involved higher-level extrastriate processes not involved in the alternating effects. In the past few years evidence has accumulated that the difference is in fact due to a low-level monocular process which can be termed the ‘blob-tracking mechanism’. A review is presented of the evidence on MAEs induced by simultaneous and alternating adaptation, the evidence for the monocularity of the blob-tracking mechanism, the data which implicate the blob mechanism in the determination of MAE magnitude, perceived plaid drift direction, and in perceived plaid coherence.
Ensemble Models of the Movement Aftereffect and the Influence of Eccentricity
Authors: van de Grind Wim A , Verstraten Frans A J , Zwamborn Karin M
Published: January 2007

Moving random-pixel arrays (RPAs) were used to study the movement aftereffect (MAE) for translational texture motion and to quantify the contribution of RPA-sensitive motion sensors to the MAE as a function of eccentricity. Size-scaled patterns were used to make a fair comparison across eccentricities. At the upper end of the velocity range it was found, for all eccentricities, that motion sensors tuned to velocities exceeding about 10–20 deg s−1 do not contribute to the translational MAE, even though they do contribute to motion perception. As a consequence the subpopulation of local motion sensors that contributes to the MAE shrinks with eccentricity, because there are fewer low-velocity-tuned and more high-velocity-tuned motion sensors for increasing eccentricity. Thus there is a quantitative, but not a qualitative, difference between the MAEs generated at different eccentricities.
100 Years of Benham's Top in Colour Science
Authors: von Campenhausen Christoph , Schramme Jürgen
Published: January 2007

For 100 years Benham's top has been a popular device demonstrating pattern-induced flicker colours (PIFCs). Results of early and recent investigations on PIFCs are reported and show that the phenomenon originates in phase-sensitive lateral interactions of modulated neural activity in the retina followed by additional spatial interactions in the visual cortex behind the locus of binocular fusion. Colour matches with normal colour stimuli indicate that S/(M + L) opponent neurons are involved. Dichromats do not find matching stimuli for all PIFCs. PIFCs may become useful in medical diagnosis. The phenomenon is interpreted as a side effect of a neural mechanism providing colour constancy under normal stimulus conditions.
What Hinders Accurate Depiction of Projective Shape?
Authors: Reith Emiel , Liu Chang Hong
Published: January 2007

Adult subjects drew the visual projection of two models. One model was a trapezoid placed in the frontoparallel plane. The other was a tilted rectangle which displayed the same projective shape on a frontoparallel plane as the trapezoid. The drawing conditions were varied in two ways: the model remained available for inspection during the drawing task or it was masked after initial inspection; the subjects drew on paper placed flat on the table or on a vertical glass pane placed in front of the model (ie on a da Vinci window). The results were that (i) the projective shape of the frontoparallel trapezoid was reproduced accurately whereas that of the tilted rectangle was systematically distorted in the direction of its actual physical dimensions; (ii) when subjects drew on paper, the presence or absence of a view of the model made no difference to the amount of distortion; (iii) drawing on a da Vinci window improved accuracy even when the model was hidden. These findings provide information about the relative roles of object-centred knowledge, perceptual abilities, and depiction skills in drawing performance.
Shape Constancy in Pictorial Relief
Authors: Koenderink Jan J , van Doorn Andrea J , Christou Chris , Lappin Joseph S
Published: January 2007

Pictorial relief was measured for a series of pictures of a smooth solid object. The scene was geometrically identical (ie the perspective of the three-dimensional scene remained the same) for all pictures, the rendering different. Some of the pictures were monochrome full-scale photographs taken under different illumination of the scene. Also included were a silhouette (uniform black on uniform white) and a ‘cartoon’-style rendering (visual contour and key linear features rendered in thin black line on a uniform white ground). Two subjects were naive and started with the silhouette, saw the cartoon next, and finally the full-scale photographs. Another subject had seen the object and did the experiment in the opposite sequence. The silhouette rendering is impoverished, but has considerable relief with much of the basic shape. The cartoon rendering yields well-developed pictorial relief, even for the naive subjects. Shading adds only small local details, but different illumination produces significant alterations of relief. It is concluded that shape constancy under changes in illumination is dominant throughout, but that the (small) deviations from true constancy reveal the effect of cues such as shading in a natural setting. Such a ‘perturbation analysis’ appears more promising than either stimulus-reduction or cue-conflict paradigms.