title: The effects of contrast on perceived depth and depth discrimination.
abstract: The contrast dependence of perceived depth was quantified through a series of depth matching experiments. Perceived depth was found to be a power law function of contrast. In addition, subjects exhibited a large uncrossed depth bias indicating that low contrast test patterns appeared much farther away than high contrast patterns of equal disparity. For disparities in the range of +/- 4.0 arc min, matching disparities for low contrast patterns were shifted in the uncrossed direction by the same amount. In other words, while the magnitude of the uncrossed depth bias is a power law function of contrast, it is constant with respect to disparity. In a second series of experiments, the contrast dependence of stereo increment thresholds was measured. Like perceived depth and stereoacuity, stereo increment thresholds were found to be a power law function of contrast. These results suggest that contrast effects occur at or before the extraction of depth and have implications for the response properties of disparity-selective mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA. ann.m.rohaly@tek.com
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Rohaly
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D015357:Vision Disparity / Q000502:physiology