Resolution for spatial segregation and spatial localization by motion signals

We investigated two types of spatial resolution for perceiving motion-defined contours: grating acuity, the capacity to discriminate alternating stripes of opposed motion from transparent bi-directional motion; and alignment acuity, the capacity to localize the position of motion-defined edges with respect to stationary markers. For both tasks the stimuli were random noise patterns, low-pass filtered in the spatial dimension parallel to the motion. Both grating and alignment resolution varied systematically with spatial frequency cutoff and speed. Best performance for grating resolution was about 10 c/deg (for unfiltered patterns moving at 1-4 deg/s), corresponding to a stripe resolution of about 3'. Grating resolution corresponds well to estimates of smallest receptive field size of motion units under these conditions, suggesting that opposing signals from units with small receptive fields (probably located in V1) are contrasted efficiently to define edges. Alignment resolution was about 2' at best, under similar conditions. Whereas alignment judgment based on luminance-defined edges is typically 3-10 times better than resolution, alignment based on motion-defined edges is only 1.1-1.5 times better, suggesting motion contours are less effectively encoded than luminance contours.

[1]  Dennis M. Levi,et al.  Spatial localization of motion-defined and luminance-defined contours , 1993, Vision Research.

[2]  Hugh R. Wilson,et al.  Responses of spatial mechanisms can explain hyperacuity , 1986, Vision Research.

[3]  D. Burr,et al.  Large receptive fields for optic flow detection in humans , 1998, Vision Research.

[4]  R. Watt,et al.  Spatial filters and the localization of luminance changes in human vision , 1984, Vision Research.

[5]  Henk Spekreijse,et al.  Contour from motion processing occurs in primary visual cortex , 1993, Nature.

[6]  D. Burr,et al.  Contrast sensitivity at high velocities , 1982, Vision Research.

[7]  Pawan Sinha,et al.  Role of motion integration in contour perception , 2001, Vision Research.

[8]  D. Burr,et al.  Two stages of visual processing for radial and circular motion , 1995, Nature.

[9]  Victor A. F. Lamme.  The neurophysiology of figure-ground segregation in primary visual cortex , 1995, The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience.

[10]  D Regan,et al.  Form from motion parallax and form from luminance contrast: vernier discrimination. , 1986, Spatial vision.

[11]  D. Burr,et al.  Spatial summation properties of directionally selective mechanisms in human vision. , 1991, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[12]  Q. Zaidi,et al.  Similarities between visual processing of shear and uniform motion , 2002, Vision Research.

[13]  K. Nakayama,et al.  A Velocity Analogue of Brightness Contrast , 1973, Perception.

[14]  A. Watson,et al.  Motion-contrast sensitivity: visibility of motion gradients of various spatial frequencies , 1994 .

[15]  J. J. Koenderink,et al.  Visibility of movement gradients , 1982, Biological Cybernetics.

[16]  D. Burr,et al.  Receptive field size of human motion detection units , 1987, Vision Research.

[17]  Dennis M. Levi,et al.  Equivalent intrinsic blur in spatial vision , 1990, Vision Research.

[18]  E. Adelson,et al.  The analysis of moving visual patterns , 1985 .

[19]  David C. Burr,et al.  Receptive field properties of human motion detector units inferred from spatial frequency masking , 1989, Vision Research.

[20]  D. H. Kelly.  Motion and vision. II. Stabilized spatio-temporal threshold surface. , 1979, Journal of the Optical Society of America.

[21]  D. M. Green,et al.  Signal detection theory and psychophysics , 1966 .

[22]  Anders M. Dale,et al.  Representation of motion boundaries in retinotopic human visual cortical areas , 1997, Nature.

[23]  S. Klein,et al.  Hyperacuity thresholds of 1 sec: theoretical predictions and empirical validation. , 1985, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[24]  D. Burr,et al.  Spatial and temporal selectivity of the human motion detection system , 1985, Vision Research.

[25]  K. Nakayama,et al.  Psychophysical isolation of movement sensitivity by removal of familiar position cues , 1981, Vision Research.

[26]  D. Burr,et al.  Two-dimensional spatial and spatial-frequency selectivity of motion-sensitive mechanisms in human vision. , 1991, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[27]  Chuan Yi Tang,et al.  A 2.|E|-Bit Distributed Algorithm for the Directed Euler Trail Problem , 1993, Inf. Process. Lett..

[28]  W S Geisler,et al.  Physical limits of acuity and hyperacuity. , 1984, Journal of the Optical Society of America. A, Optics and image science.

[29]  D Regan,et al.  Visual Acuity for Optotypes Made Visible by Relative Motion , 1990, Optometry and vision science : official publication of the American Academy of Optometry.

[30]  Frans A. J. Verstraten,et al.  Pitfalls in Estimating Motion Detector Receptive Field Geometry , 1997, Vision Research.

[31]  A. Watson,et al.  Quest: A Bayesian adaptive psychometric method , 1983, Perception & psychophysics.

[32]  K. Nakayama,et al.  Sensitivity to Shearing and Compressive Motion in Random Dots , 1985, Perception.

[33]  O. Braddick.  Segmentation versus integration in visual motion processing , 1993, Trends in Neurosciences.