Peripheral contrast sensitivity for sine-wave gratings and single periods

doi:10.1016/0042-6989(80)90109-1

Vision Research

Volume 20, Issue 3, 1980, Pages 243-252

https://doi.org/10.1016/0042-6989(80)90109-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

The contrast sensitivity of the human eye has been measured as a function of eccentricity. The stimulus used was a sine-wave grating with a fixed height of 5° in a surround of luminance that equals the average stimulus luminance. The measurements were carried out with stimulus width as the independent variable. The “local” sensitivity for gratings was found to decrease monotonically with increasing eccentricity.

It was further found that the sensitivity for wide gratings is mainly determined by that part which is only 2° wide, situated as close to the fovea as possible.

The results are discussed in view of the possible existence of “tuning”, i.e. of a maximal sensitivity outside the fovea. at an eccentricity determined by the spatial frequency.

Reference (16)

AnstisS.M.
A chart demonstrating variations in acuity with retinal position
Vision Res.
(1974)
BerkleyM.A. et al.
Grating visibility as a function of orientation and retinal eccentricity
Vision Res.
(1975)
HilzR. et al.
Functional organization of the peripheral retina: sensitivity to periodic stimuli
Vision Res.
(1974)
HoekstraJ. et al.
The influence of the number of cycles upon the visual contrast threshold for spatial sine-wave patterns
Vision Res.
(1974)
KroonJ.N. et al.
Spatial frequency tuning studies: Weighting as a prerequisite for describing psychometric curves by probability summation
Vision Res.
(1980)
RijsdijkJ.P. et al.
Contrast sensitivity as a function of position on the retina
Vision Res.
(1980)
BryngdahlO.
Perceived contrast variation with eccentricity of spatial sine-wave stimuli
Vision Res.
(1966)
DoornA.J.van et al.
The influence of the retinal inhomogeneity on the perception of spatial patterns
Kybernetik
(1972)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (16)

Do channels shift their tuning towards lower spatial frequencies in the periphery?
1996, Vision Research
Space-variant multichannel spatial vision models include either anchored channels whose units (sensors) share their tuning frequency, or shifting channels whose sensors shift their tuning towards lower frequencies in the periphery. Each type of model embodies a different type of structural organization across eccentricity. Anchored- and shifting-channel models are tested in this paper against empirical data from five types of relevant detection experiment: measurements of the local sine-wave contrast sensitivity function (CSF) at several eccentricities using (a) fixed apertures, (b) apertures scaled with eccentricity or (c) fixed number of cycles, (d) measurements of foveal sensitivity as a function of aperture size, and (e) measurements of the contrast sensitivity gradient across the visual field. Each type of model is shown to predict a different outcome in each type of experiment. A review of empirical research reveals that three of the five experiment types have yielded two distinct sets of results, each of which is consistent with the predictions from one of the types of model, while the two other types of experiment have always yielded similar results which support anchored-channel models. Further scrutiny of the models reveals that the distinction between anchored and shifting channels is more apparent than real, as model predictions are only determined by how sensor gain is assumed to change with eccentricity and tuning frequency. Two alternative sensor gain functions are identified and interpreted in terms of two versions of the cortical magnification theory of spatial vision. Altogether, these two functions account for all extant data on the five types of experiment, suggesting individual differences in the functional organization of the human visual system across eccentricity. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.
Chapter 2 Perceptual organization of visual patterns: The segmentation of textures
1996, Handbook of Perception and Action
This chapter discusses the earlier preattentive stages of visual information processing and investigates specific stimulus properties that facilitate image segmentation. It describes some of the theoretically conceivable stimulus properties or, more succinctly, stimulus dimensions. At least five stimulus dimensions could be involved in image segmentation: (1) relative movement among parts of the image, (2) binocular disparity (i.e., a relative shift of parts of the image on the two retinas), (3) color differences, (4) differences in luminance, and (5) differences in the texturing of areas of the image. The chapter discusses older ideas and findings on the mechanisms and processes thought to be involved in the segmentation of visual input information. It discusses image segmentation as a problem of information processing and focuses on general principles that apply to any image processing system, regardless of which kind.
Bilateral hemispheric processing deficits in schizophrenia
1990, Schizophrenia Research
Schizophrenics are known to have an early visual processing deficit, but the exact nature of that deficit is unclear. The present research was undertaken in order to establish the difference between schizophrenic and normal subjects in their processing of visual stimuli. Previous studies have shown that short duration stimuli activate a transient visual system which is associated with the right hemisphere, while longer duration stimuli activate the sustained system associated with the left hemisphere. The present study was designed to determine the effects of activation/inactivation of both the sustained and transient channels on hemispheric processing in normal compared to schizophrenic patients. The task was a forced choice continuity of form. The subject was required to detect two grating pulses, separated by a blank interval (interstimulus interval—ISI) vs. a single grating pulse, which was shown for the same total duration as the two pulse condition. Threshold ISI was obtained and used as the index of visible persistence/speed of visual processing. 19 schizophrenics, 12 depressives, 6 schizoaffectives, and 11 controls participated in the study. Stimuli were sinusoidal spatial frequency (SF) gratings of 0.9 and 15 c/° presented independently to the left and right hemisphere for durations of 50 and 250 ms. The results revealed statistical significance for Diagnosis, Diagnosis × SF, and Position × Diagnosis. Normal controls and depressed subjects did not statistically differ from each other, while schizophrenic and schizoaffectives differed from both control groups and on some conditions from each other. No hemispheric asymmetries were observed for any group. The results are discussed in terms of differential deficits in schizophrenics in the absence of early occuring asymmetries.
Nonlinear analysis of spatial vision using first-and-second-order volterra transfer functions measurement
1990, Vision Research
The harmonic input method of nonlinear system identification is modified to allow the Volterra series approach to be used for psychophysical investigation of various aspects of human pattern vision in the spatial frequency domain. While it is well known that only one modulation transfer function provides a complete characterization of a linear system, a number of multidimensional transfer functions are needed to identify a nonlinear system. We have shown, that so far as the contrast sensitivity to sine-wave gratings may be used for an empirical estimate of the first-order modulation transfer function of the human visual system, the contrast sensitivity to difference harmonics may be used as an empirical estimate of the second-order modulation transfer function.
A difference harmonic arises from a mixture of two sine-wave gratings resulting from the nonlinearity of the visual system. Difference harmonic, experienced as some periodic beatlike structure, may still be observed if frequencies of the component gratings are higher than the maximum visual acuity.
The visibility of the low-frequency beatlike pattern produced by pairs of sine-wave gratings, which themselves are of spatial frequencies too high to be resolved, could be accounted for either by a difference frequency distortion product (Burton, 1973) or by a special beat detector (Derrington & Badcock, 1985). We found that increasing the contrast of one component grating may be compensated for by reducing the contrast of the other component grating, the beatlike pattern being at threshold. This is exactly what would be expected if the beatlike pattern is detected because of the difference harmonics produced by nonlinearity of the visual system.
We have determined contrast thresholds for the difference harmonics which occur between two unresolved different spatial frequencies. The contrast sensitivity function for difference harmonics was found to have a marked similarity both in the shape and position of peak sensitivity to the contrast sensitivity function for single sine-wave gratings. Another important characteristic of the contrast sensitivity function for difference harmonics is that it depends only on the frequency difference, Δf = f₁ − f₂, rather than on the value of either f₁ or f₂.
All this indicates that a difference harmonic arises from local nonlinearities in the visual system. More specifically, the visual system may be represented as a cascade system, composed of a linear system with transfer function O(f) followed by a nonlinear element, r(·), without spatial spread in cascade with another linear system with transfer function P(f). The nth order transfer function of this cascade system, H_n(f₁,...,f_n) can be expressed in the following way: H_n(f₁,...,f_n) = a_nO(f₁)P(f₁ + ... + f_n) where a_n is the nth coefficient in the Taylor series expansion for the nonlinear function r(·). It follows from this that the measurement of the first- and second-order transfer functions is sufficient to determine O(f) and P(f). We have derived the estimates of cO(f) and P(f) from contrast sensitivity functions for single sine-wave gratings and difference harmonics by the least squares method.
Psychophysics of lateral tachistoscopic presentation
1986, Brain and Cognition
Human visual performance depends upon the retinal position to which a target is delivered. A general finding is that performance measured in a variety of psychophysical tasks deteriorates as a target is presented to more eccentric retinal regions. One purpose of this paper is to describe differences between foveal and peripheral vision in a number of psychophysical tasks. A second purpose is to review studies which have attempted to account for the fall off in visual performance between central and peripheral target presentations. A third purpose is to consider the contribution of the periphery to perception since targets which are sufficiently large project not only on receptors in the fovea but also on those in the periphery. In addition, stimuli presented to the peripheral retina can influence the processing of a target presented to the central retinal region. A fourth purpose is to review studies which have attempted to compensate for foveal and peripheral differences by scaling the target in size or some other attribute in proportion to the cortical magnification factor. A final purpose of this paper is to consider whether the fovea and the periphery are specialized for different functions.
Long term visual deprivation in a human
1982, Vision Research
D.C. had a congenital monocular cataract removed at 19 years of age. Preoperatively, he was virtually blind in the deprived eye. By 4 months after surgery he could resolve about 1.4c/deg but acuity did not improve further over the next 7 months. Immediately postoperatively, the temporal retina was blind, but over the next 4 months its visual field increased to 20. The temporal retina continued, however, to have elevated thresholds. D.C. also exhibited a peculiar form of binocular competition. Thresholds of the deprived binocular portions of the nasal retina were greatly elevated by light falling on the non-deprived eye. Visual function in the non-deprived eye was normal.

View all citing articles on Scopus

^*: Present address: Institute for Perception Research, P.O. Box 513, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

^†: Present address: T.N.O.-Ground Water Survey. P.O. Box 285, 2600 AG Delft, The Netherlands.

View full text

Peripheral contrast sensitivity for sine-wave gratings and single periods

Abstract

Vision Res.

Vision Res.

Vision Res.

Vision Res.

Vision Res.

Vision Res.

Perceived contrast variation with eccentricity of spatial sine-wave stimuli

Vision Res.

The influence of the retinal inhomogeneity on the perception of spatial patterns

Kybernetik