title: Radial frequency stimuli and sine-wave gratings seem to be processed by distinct contrast brain mechanisms.
abstract: An assumption commonly made in the study of visual perception is that the lower the contrast threshold for a given stimulus, the more sensitive and selective will be the mechanism that processes it. On the basis of this consideration, we investigated contrast thresholds for two classes of stimuli: sine-wave gratings and radial frequency stimuli (i.e., j0 targets or stimuli modulated by spherical Bessel functions). Employing a suprathreshold summation method, we measured the selectivity of spatial and radial frequency filters using either sine-wave gratings or j0 target contrast profiles at either 1 or 4 cycles per degree of visual angle (cpd), as the test frequencies. Thus, in a forced-choice trial, observers chose between a background spatial (or radial) frequency alone and the given background stimulus plus the test frequency (1 or 4 cpd sine-wave grating or radial frequency). Contrary to our expectations, the results showed elevated thresholds (i.e., inhibition) for sine-wave gratings and decreased thresholds (i.e., summation) for radial frequencies when background and test frequencies were identical. This was true for both 1- and 4-cpd test frequencies. This finding suggests that sine-wave gratings and radial frequency stimuli are processed by different quasi-linear systems, one working at low luminance and contrast level (sine-wave gratings) and the other at high luminance and contrast levels (radial frequency stimuli). We think that this interpretation is consistent with distinct foveal only and foveal-parafoveal mechanisms involving striate and/or other higher visual areas (i.e., V2 and V4).
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Percepção Visual, Departamento de Psicologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, PE, Brasil. mlbs@ufpe.br
authors.forename: M L B
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Simas
authors.forename: R M T B L
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Santos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods*; D011846:Radio Waves; D012684:Sensory Thresholds / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*