Diagnostic spatial frequencies and human efficiency for discriminating actions.
Humans extract visual information from the world through spatial frequency (SF) channels that are sensitive to different scales of light-dark fluctuations across visual space. Using two methods, we measured human SF tuning for discriminating videos of human actions (walking, running, skipping and jumping). The first, more traditional, approach measured signal-to-noise ratio (s/n) thresholds for videos filtered by one of six Gaussian band-pass filters ranging from 4 to 128 cycles/image. The second approach used SF "bubbles", Willenbockel et al. (Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance, 36(1), 122-135, 2010), which randomly filters the entire SF domain on each trial and uses reverse correlation to estimate SF tuning. Results from both methods were consistent and revealed a diagnostic SF band centered between 12-16 cycles/image (about 1-1.25 cycles/body width). Efficiency on this task was estimated by comparing s/n thresholds for humans to an ideal observer, and was estimated to be quite low (>.04%) for both experiments.
Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 3151 Social Science Plaza, Irvine, CA 92697-5100, USA. sthurman@uci.edu
Steven M
SM
Thurman
Emily D
ED
Grossman
D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D006801:Humans; D009039:Motion Perception; D016011:Normal Distribution; D011601:Psychophysics; D012684:Sensory Thresholds; D014741:Video Recording
Annu Rev Psychol. 1980;31:309-41
7362215
IEEE Trans Pattern Anal Mach Intell. 2007 Dec;29(12):2247-53
17934233
J Physiol. 1968 Aug;197(3):551-66
5666169
Vision Res. 2001 Aug;41(17):2261-71
11448718
Vision Res. 1999 Nov;39(23):3824-33
10748918
Vision Res. 1987;27(1):87-96
3617549
Trends Cogn Sci. 2006 Dec;10(12):538-45
17071128
J Vis. 2009 Sep 16;9(10):12.1-19
19810793
Vision Res. 1991;31(7-8):1399-415
1891827
Perception. 2006;35(11):1495-506
17286120
J Vis. 2005 Oct 05;5(9):659-67
16356076
Vision Res. 2002 Apr;42(9):1165-84
11997055
Psychon Bull Rev. 2005 Feb;12(1):43-65
15948283
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2010 Feb;36(1):122-35
20121299
Perception. 1983;12(2):195-201
6657426
Nature. 1994 Jun 2;369(6479):395-7
8196766
Vision Res. 2002 Aug;42(18):2137-152
12207975
Vision Res. 1999 Oct;39(21):3537-60
10746125
Spat Vis. 1997;10(4):437-42
9176953
Cogn Psychol. 1997 Oct;34(1):72-107
9325010
Percept Psychophys. 1996 May;58(4):602-12
8934690
Spat Vis. 1997;10(4):433-6
9176952