title: Stereo-slant adaptation is high level and does not involve disparity coding.
abstract: We have investigated the potential stages of visual processing at which adaptation may occur to a slanted surface produced by horizontal magnification. Predictions of three hypotheses were tested utilizing a property of depth from binocular disparity, namely that slant scales with distance. If adaptation occurs at the disparity level, then the after-effect expressed in units of horizontal magnification will be independent of the test distance. If adaptation occurs at either a perceived slant or mapping level, then the after-effect, expressed in units of slant, will be independent of the test distance. If adaptation is contingent on distance, then the after-effect will not transfer over distance. Subjects adapted to a stereo-defined slanted surface at a distance of 57 cm. The after-effect was measured with a test stimulus at a distance of 28, 57, 85, or 114 cm by means of a nulling method. When the after-effect was expressed in units of slant, we found that it was larger at the adapting distance than other test distances, and that the after-effect was constant at test distances different from the adaptation distance. These results suggest that two types of adaptation occurred, namely adaptation on a mapping/perception level and adaptation contingent on distance.
authors.affiliation: Helmholtz Institute, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands. e.m.berends@phys.uu.nl
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Berends
authors.forename: Baoxia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Clifton M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Schor
mesh_terms: D000221:Adaptation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D003867:Depth Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008960:Models, Psychological; D015357:Vision Disparity / Q000502:physiology*; D015348:Vision, Binocular / Q000502:physiology*