title: Theory of chromatic noise masking applied to testing linearity of S-cone detection mechanisms.
abstract: A method for testing the linearity of cone combination of chromatic detection mechanisms is applied to S-cone detection. This approach uses the concept of mechanism noise, the noise as seen by a postreceptoral neural mechanism, to represent the effects of superposing chromatic noise components in elevating thresholds and leads to a parameter-free prediction for a linear mechanism. The method also provides a test for the presence of multiple linear detectors and off-axis looking. No evidence for multiple linear mechanisms was found when using either S-cone increment or decrement tests. The results for both S-cone test polarities demonstrate that these mechanisms combine their cone inputs nonlinearly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Norhteastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giulianini
authors.forename: Rhea T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Eskew
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology*; D011601:Psychophysics; D017949:Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*