Effect of stimulus contrast on performance and eye movements in visual search.

According to the visual span control hypothesis, eye movements are controlled in relation to the size of visual span. In reading, the decrease of contrast reduces visual span, saccade sizes, and reading speed. The purpose of the present study is to determine how stimulus contrast affects the speed of two-dimensional visual search and how changes in eye movements and visual span could explain changes in performance. The task of the observer was to search for, and identify, an uppercase letter from a rectangular array of characters in which the other items were numerals. Threshold search time, i.e. the duration of stimulus presentation required for search that is successful with a given probability, was determined by using a multiple-alternative staircase method. Eye movements were recorded simultaneously by using a video eye tracker. Four different set sizes (the sizes of stimulus array) (3x3-10x10), and five different contrasts (0.0186-0.412) were used. At all set sizes, threshold search time decreased with increasing contrast. Also the average number of fixations per search decreased with increasing contrast. At the smallest set size (3x3), only one fixation was needed except at the lowest contrast. Average fixation duration decreased and saccade amplitudes increased slightly with increasing contrast. The reduction of the number of fixations with increasing contrast suggests that visual span, i.e. the area from which information can be collected at one fixation, increases with increasing contrast. The reduction of the number of fixations together with reduced fixation duration result in reduced search times when contrast increases.

Detection of a gabor patch superimposed on an illusory contour.

Interactions between visual stimuli have been found to be specific to the spatial frequency, orientation and phase of the interacting stimuli. We asked if there are any interactions between luminance-defined Gabor patches and Kanizsa-type illusory contours. In psychophysical experiments we studied whether induction of a vertical illusory line affects detection thresholds for a Gabor patch superimposed on this line and whether these effects depend on the orientation, spatial frequency and phase of the Gabor elements. Employing a 2AFC method with a staircase procedure we measured contrast detection thresholds and varied the orientation, spatial frequency and phase of the test Gabor patch and the separation between the two pacmen in four experimental series. The results show that in a situation where the two inducers generate perception of an illusory line, the contrast detection of the Gabor patch is facilitated relative to a control condition where the rotated pacmen do not induce illusory contours. This facilitation was more pronounced for test Gabor signals that were collinear to the illusory line, but the observer's performance was not altered by changes in the spatial frequency or phase of the Gabor stimuli. With increasing spatial separation of the two pacmen (and, consequently, with a decreasing support ratio), the difference between performance in the test and control conditions diminished. From the data obtained we cannot infer that we have measured some neural interactions between Gabor patches and Kanizsa-type illusory contours, and nor can we draw a unique conclusion about what causes the facilitation of detection of the test Gabor patch in the experimental situation that allows induction of the illusory line. We discuss possible mechanisms of the facilitation, such as contextual influences or a reduction of uncertainty about spatial location of the test Gabor patch.

Neon colour spreading in three-dimensional illusory objects in humans.

We studied whether neon spreading can be induced within three-dimensional illusory triangles. Kanizsa triangles were induced by black pacman disks consisting of red sectors with curved sides. Viewing our stimuli monocularly produced two-dimensional illusory contours and surfaces as well as neon spreading in each figure. Triangles appeared concave or convex under stereoscopical viewing. Neon colour spreading was induced within illusory figures bending in three-dimensional space, suggesting that neural contour completion and surface filling-in interact across depth. Surprisingly, neon spreading was induced above the intervening surface even when the inducers were below the surface. Neon colour and illusory configuration were preserved behind the intervening surface only when it appeared transparent.

Illusory motion capture and release in rotating 3-D figure in humans.

An illusory bar emerges in a cleft between two opposing gratings. When the gratings rotated around the vertical axis in three-dimensional (3-D) space, the illusory bar was seen either (i) rotating with the inducing gratings or (ii) as a stationary and opaque tape located in front of gratings. This illusion seems to be caused by the different temporal dynamics of the illusion and its inducers, especially by the slower extinction rate for the illusory bar than its inducers. The illusion is a psychophysical demonstration of an illusory figure becoming spatially and temporally loose from its inducers, suggesting that they are processed separately in the brain. This indicates that illusory figures are not only by-products of normal vision but have their own important function.

Three-dimensionally slanted illusory contours capture stereopsis.

In stereo capture a stereogram of a crossed illusory figure pulls a texture bounded by the illusory contours to the same depth plane with the illusory figure. We investigated whether three-dimensionally curved and slanted illusory figures could capture a repeating background texture. According to results, stereoscopic capture was perceived when a disparate illusory contour was slanted provided that the period of the background texture was consistent with the three-dimensional geometry of the illusory surface. We suggest that stereo capture is actually induced by disparate rows of points defined by vertical cut-out sectors and the induced disparity spread is constrained by illusory contours and possible discrete matches of the background texture.

Effects of spatial configuration and number of fixations on Kanizsa triangle detection.

PURPOSE: Illusory figures, created by the visual system between visualizing real objects, are probably caused by processes designed to segregate objects from background. Support ratio--that is, the ratio between the physically specified and total triangle side length--has been suggested to be the main spatial determinant for suprathreshold perception of a Kanizsa-type illusion. To test this scale invariance hypothesis at threshold, illusory figure perception was studied by determining the effects of inducer size and distance at various exposure durations and fixation strategies on the frequency of seeing (FoS) an illusory Kanizsa triangle. METHODS: The effect of various support ratios was studied in the first experiment by varying the intercenter distance between constant-size inducers viewed at various distances. In the second experiment, the effects of various exposure durations and fixation strategies were investigated; and the third experiment repeated the second one, with backward masking to control the processing time. In the fourth experiment, the magnification of the stimulus configuration was varied, with a support ratio that had yielded 100% FoS in the first experiment, to study the range of scale invariance in illusory figure perception. RESULTS: The support ratio was the main determinant for the perception of an illusory figure at various inducer sizes, exposure durations, and masking conditions when fixation was steady; FoS always increased from 0% to 100% with the support ratio of 0.30 to 0.37. However, free viewing, with and without masking, resulted in 100% illusory figure perception at all support ratios tested. Furthermore, when fixation was steady and support ratio and exposure duration were held constant, stimulus magnification reduced FoS from 100% to 0% at the smallest and largest stimulus sizes. CONCLUSIONS: The support ratio seems to be the main spatial determinant for illusory figure perception. However, scale invariance in Kanizsa triangle perception broke down in the smallest and largest configurations, probably because of the limitations of visual acuity and spatial integration, respectively. Integration of information from several fixations enhances FoS at small support ratios, emphasizing the importance of the binding process between separate fixations for illusory figure perception.

Three-dimensional illusory objects produced by rotation in depth.

Rotation of a Kanizsa triangle in depth around its vertical axis causes a perception of a three-dimensional object with a flat, rigid illusory triangle between the inducing discs. When the inducing discs of a Kanizsa triangle were made thicker, the illusory triangle between the discs also became thicker. In the experiments both computer animation and real inducers made of plastic were used. The method promoted border perception in a three-dimensional illusory figure. We suggest that the perception of three-dimensional illusory objects is due to a process which is also used in the perception of real three-dimensional objects.

Spatial and temporal properties of illusory figures.

The best known example of illusory figures is the Kanizsa triangle consisting of three disks with a sector removed. The disks and sectors are arranged so that they form the corners of a triangle. Although the sides of the triangle are not physically present, they are clearly visible to the observer. In this study the effect of sequential presentation of the inducing disks on an illusory (Kanizsa) triangle was investigated. The task of each subject was to find, by the method of adjustment, the longest critical duration that allowed perception of the illusory triangle produced by presenting the three inducing disks sequentially. We varied the sizes and/or separations of disks. An illusory triangle produced by flashing the three inducing disks simultaneously for 33 msec served as a comparison stimulus. Our experiments showed that increasing the inducing disk size or reducing the inter-disk distance increased critical duration. The result means that the shorter the illusory contour to be induced the longer the critical duration and vice versa. Thus, if the inductive disks are less separated in space they can be more separated in time and vice versa. These findings seem to agree with the suggestion that illusory contours emerge from the synchronization of gamma-waves emitted by the neurons in the visual cortex.

Temporal relationships between warmth imagery and associated changes in digital pulse amplitude, skin temperature and skin temperature sensation.

Temporal relationships between warmth imagery and associated psychophysiological changes were studied by recording digital pulse amplitude, skin temperature, and thermal sensations in 5 subjects. After each trial the subjects were asked whether they thought they had been successful in producing the expected mental image. During the subjectively successful imagery tasks the digital pulse amplitude and the skin temperature of the hand rose significantly. The subjective onset of imagery took place after the digital pulse amplitude had started to change but before the skin temperature had begun to rise. This implies that mental imagery of skin warming as a conscious experience is not a prerequisite of somatic change. The thermal sensation (i.e. feeling of warmth) took place while the skin temperature was rising or immediately after that. This suggests that it is not caused by the mental image per se but by activation of skin temperature receptors.

The mechanism of the psychophysiological effects of placebo.

The psychological and physiological components of the placebo phenomenon are connected in a way which is analogous to the connection between thermal imagery and skin blood flow and skin temperature. The content of mental imagery affects specifically skin blood flow and causes temperature changes. By analogy, the physiological effects of placebo depend on the content of the patient's treatment-related imagery. The long term effects of placebo in a specific disease depend on the duration and repetition of a single placebo effect. Placebo affects through a complicated and holistic psychophysiological system. Therefore its effect can be more long-lasting than the effects of more specific agents. Thus placebo should be used intentionally together with treatments and drugs which have more direct physiological and pharmacological effects.

The effects of stimulus area and adaptation temperature on warm and heat pain thresholds in man.

The effect of stimulus area and adaptation temperature on warm and heat pain threshold were studied in healthy human subjects using a contact thermal stimulator. The stimulus area was varied in the range of 1.3 to 11.8 cm. Both the warm and heat pain thresholds decreased with increasing stimulus surface. Heat pain and warm thresholds were equally affected by the stimulus surface. The adapting temperature was varied in the range 25-35 degrees C, and warm thresholds were elevated with increasing adaptation temperature. The change of heat pain thresholds with increasing adapting temperature was not significant. Thus, there are both differences and similarities concerning how the different stimulus conditions affect heat pain and warm thresholds.

Effect of tourniquet-induced ischemia on cutaneous thermal thresholds.

The effect of tourniquet-induced ischemia on human thermal thresholds was studied. After the development of the A-fibre block (= a sharp elevation of cool threshold) the heat-pain threshold was still uninfluenced. This result supports previous evidence indicating that C-fibres mediate the liminal heat pain sensation. Thus, the quantitative determination of cutaneous heat pain thresholds provides a rather selective method for testing C-fibre mediated pain sensitivity, at least when a contact thermostimulator with a slow or moderate rise of stimulus temperature is used. The second aim of this study was to examine whether ischemia or mechanical pressure is the cause of the tourniquet-induced block of A-fibres. This was studied by varying the mechanical pressure and the amount of ischemia. With increased ischemia (with muscle work) the A-fibre block (increased cool threshold) came earlier, but this finding was not significant.

Influence of the rate of temperature change on thermal thresholds in man.

Thermal thresholds (cool, warm, heat, heat pain) were determined in four skin regions (cheek, glabrous skin of the hand, hairy forearm, leg) of eight healthy human subjects. The thermostimulator was composed of Peltier elements and three rates of continuous stimulation were used: 1.4, 2.4, and 3.9 degrees C/s. Warm, heat, and heat pain thresholds increased with increasing rate of temperature change, and the increase was of equal magnitude with these three thresholds. However, the effect of increasing stimulus rate on cool thresholds was nonsignificant. Similar results were obtained in all skin regions studied. It is suggested that liminal warm, heat, and heat pain sensations are mediated by afferent fibers with conduction velocities of the same range (C-fibers) whereas liminal cool sensations are signaled by faster conducting afferent fibers.