title: Image phase or amplitude? Rapid scene categorization is an amplitude-based process.
abstract: Models of the visual cortex are based on image decomposition according to the Fourier spectrum (amplitude and phase). On one hand, it is commonly believed that phase information is necessary to identify a scene. On the other hand, it is known that complex cells of the visual cortex, the most numerous ones, code only the amplitude spectrum. This raises the question of knowing if these cells carry sufficient information to allow visual scene categorization. In this work, using the same experiments in computer simulation and in psychophysics, we provide arguments to show that the amplitude spectrum alone is sufficient for categorization task.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire des images et des signaux (CNRS), INPG, 46, av. Félix-Viallet, 38031 Grenoble, France. nguyader@lis.inpg.fr
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Guyader
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chauvin
authors.forename: Carole
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peyrin
authors.forename: Jeanny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hérault
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marendaz
mesh_terms: D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D011601:Psychophysics; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception