Hysteresis in binocular grating perception: Contrast effects

Abstract It is known that when pairs of sinusoidal gratings of slightly different spatial frequencies are viewed stereoscopically, subjects perceive a plane tilted in depth. Here it is shown that if the contrast of one of the gratings is continuously varied in time, abrupt transitions occur between perceptions of a flat and tilted surface. These transitions define a hysteresis loop as a function of contrast As eye movements cannot account for this effect, binocular contrast hysteresis must be neural in origin. A mathematical model is developed to account for the major aspects of the hysteresis phenomenon. The key feature of the model is positive feedback among disparity sensitive cells generated by disinhibitory circuits.

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