Empirical Inference

Pulse train detection and discrimination in pink noise

2002

Poster

ei


Much of our information about spatial vision comes from detection experiments involving low-contrast stimuli. Contrast discrimination experiments provide one way to explore the visual system's response to stimuli of higher contrast. We explored both detection and contrast discrimination performance with sinusoidal and "pulse-train" (or line) gratings. Both types of grating had a fundamental spatial frequency of 2.09-c/deg but the pulse-train, ideally, contains, in addition to its fundamental component, all the harmonics of the fundamental. Although the 2.09-c/deg pulse-train produced on the display was measured and shown to contain at least 8 harmonics at equal contrast, it was no more detectable than its most detectable component; no benefit from having additional information at the harmonics was measurable. The addition of broadband "pink" noise, designed to equalize the detectability of the components of the pulse train, made it about a factor of four more detectable than any of its components. However, in contrast-discrimination experiments, with an in-phase pedestal or masking grating of the same form and phase as the signal and 15% contrast, the noise did not improve the discrimination performance of the pulse train relative to that of its sinusoidal components. In contrast, a 2.09-c/deg "super train," constructed to have 8 equally detectable harmonics, was a factor of five more detectable than any of its components. We discuss the implications of these observations for models of early vision in particular the implications for possible sources of internal noise.

Author(s): Henning, GB. and Wichmann, FA. and Bird, CM.
Journal: Journal of Vision
Volume: 2
Number (issue): 7
Pages: 229
Year: 2002
Month: November
Day: 0

Department(s): Empirical Inference
Bibtex Type: Poster (poster)

Digital: 0
DOI: 10.1167/2.7.229
Event Name: Second Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS 2002)
Event Place: Sarasota, FL, USA
Organization: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
School: Biologische Kybernetik

Links: Web

BibTex

@poster{1156,
  title = {Pulse train detection and discrimination in pink noise },
  author = {Henning, GB. and Wichmann, FA. and Bird, CM.},
  journal = {Journal of Vision},
  volume = {2},
  number = {7},
  pages = {229},
  organization = {Max-Planck-Gesellschaft},
  school = {Biologische Kybernetik},
  month = nov,
  year = {2002},
  doi = {10.1167/2.7.229},
  month_numeric = {11}
}