Document Detail


Curvature coding in illusory contours.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19682486     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
We have employed the shape frequency and shape-amplitude after-effects (SFAE and SAAE) to investigate: (i) whether the shapes of illusory and real curves are processed by the same or different mechanisms, and (ii) the carrier-tuning properties of illusory curvature mechanisms. The SFAE and SAAE are the phenomena in which adaptation to a sinusoidal-shaped contour results in a shift in, respectively, the perceived shape-frequency and perceived shape-amplitude of a test contour in a direction away from that of the adapting stimulus. Both after-effects are believed to be mediated by mechanisms sensitive to curvature (Gheorghiu & Kingdom, 2007a, 2009; see also Hancock & Peirce, 2008). We observed both shape after-effects in sinusoidally-shaped illusory contours defined by phase-shifted line-grating carriers. We tested whether illusory and real contours were mediated by the same or different mechanisms by comparing same adaptor-and-test with different adaptor-and-test combinations of real and illusory contours. Real contour adaptors produced after-effects in illusory contour tests that were as great as, or even greater than those produced by illusory contour adaptors. However, illusory contour adaptors produced much weaker after-effects in real contour tests than did real contour adaptors. This asymmetry suggests that illusory contour curves are encoded by a sub-set of mechanisms sensitive to real contour curves. We also examined the carrier-tuning properties of illusory-contour curvature processing using adaptor and test illusory contours that differed in the luminance contrast-polarity, luminance scale and orientation of the carriers. We found no selectivity to any of these dimensions for either even-symmetric or odd-symmetric line-gratings carriers, even though selectivity to these dimensions was found for real contours.
Authors:
Elena Gheorghiu; Frederick A A Kingdom; Manpreet Sull; Samantha Wells
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2009-08-12
Journal Detail:
Title:  Vision research     Volume:  49     ISSN:  1878-5646     ISO Abbreviation:  Vision Res.     Publication Date:  2009 Oct 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-10-05     Completed Date:  2009-12-14     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0417402     Medline TA:  Vision Res     Country:  England    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  2518-30     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1A1. elena.gheorghiu@mcgill.ca
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Contrast Sensitivity / physiology
Figural Aftereffect / physiology
Form Perception / physiology*
Humans
Optical Illusions / physiology*
Orientation
Pattern Recognition, Visual / physiology
Photic Stimulation / methods
Psychophysics

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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