title: Curvature coding in illusory contours.
abstract: We have employed the shape frequency and shape-amplitude after-effects (SFAE and SAAE) to investigate: (i) whether the shapes of illusory and real curves are processed by the same or different mechanisms, and (ii) the carrier-tuning properties of illusory curvature mechanisms. The SFAE and SAAE are the phenomena in which adaptation to a sinusoidal-shaped contour results in a shift in, respectively, the perceived shape-frequency and perceived shape-amplitude of a test contour in a direction away from that of the adapting stimulus. Both after-effects are believed to be mediated by mechanisms sensitive to curvature (Gheorghiu & Kingdom, 2007a, 2009; see also Hancock & Peirce, 2008). We observed both shape after-effects in sinusoidally-shaped illusory contours defined by phase-shifted line-grating carriers. We tested whether illusory and real contours were mediated by the same or different mechanisms by comparing same adaptor-and-test with different adaptor-and-test combinations of real and illusory contours. Real contour adaptors produced after-effects in illusory contour tests that were as great as, or even greater than those produced by illusory contour adaptors. However, illusory contour adaptors produced much weaker after-effects in real contour tests than did real contour adaptors. This asymmetry suggests that illusory contour curves are encoded by a sub-set of mechanisms sensitive to real contour curves. We also examined the carrier-tuning properties of illusory-contour curvature processing using adaptor and test illusory contours that differed in the luminance contrast-polarity, luminance scale and orientation of the carriers. We found no selectivity to any of these dimensions for either even-symmetric or odd-symmetric line-gratings carriers, even though selectivity to these dimensions was found for real contours.
authors.affiliation: McGill Vision Research, Department of Ophthalmology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1A1. elena.gheorghiu@mcgill.ca
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gheorghiu
authors.forename: Frederick A A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Kingdom
authors.forename: Manpreet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sull
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wells
mesh_terms: D015350:Contrast Sensitivity / Q000502:physiology; D005366:Figural Aftereffect / Q000502:physiology; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D009903:Optical Illusions / Q000502:physiology*; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics