1999 volume 28(8) pages 1031 – 1050
doi:10.1068/p2882

Cite as:
McSorley E, Findlay J M, 1999, "An examination of a temporal anisotropy in the visual integration of spatial frequencies" Perception 28(8) 1031 – 1050
Download citation data in RIS format

An examination of a temporal anisotropy in the visual integration of spatial frequencies

Eugene McSorley, John M Findlay

Received 11 December 1998, in revised form 24 June 1999

Abstract. Three pairs of experiments were conducted to investigate the importance of spatial-frequency-processing delays imposed by the visual system on the efficacy of their subsequent integration. In the first pair of experiments filtered versions of a natural image were found to be easily discriminable from the full-bandwidth image. These images were then placed into triplets and presented sequentially. Subjects were required to detect the presence of a full-bandwidth target image within the sequence. As with previous results a low-to-high progression of spatial-frequency information did increase the number of errors of full-bandwidth-image detection within the triplets where it was not present. However, this was not found across all conditions and was suggested to be due to the increased discriminability of the constituent images which form the image triplets. The second experiment was a repetition of the first with more confusable component images. Again the weak order effect on target detection was found. It was suggested that this may be due to the nature of the stimulus used. The third pair of experiments repeated the design of the first pair of experiments but with Gabor patches which provide localised spatial-frequency information. It was found that a low-to-high progression of spatial frequencies resulted in more false detections of the target. The results are interpreted as supporting an integration mechanism which operates with greater efficacy when the presentation of spatial-frequency information mirrors that naturally imposed by the neural delays involved in the processing of spatial frequencies.

Restricted material:

PDF Full-text PDF size: 507 Kb

HTML References  56 references, 30 with DOI links (Crossref)

Your computer (IP address: 50.16.17.90) has not been recognised as being on a network authorised to view the full text or references of this article. This content is part of our deep back archive. If you are a member of a university library that has a subscription to the journal, please contact your serials librarian (subscriptions information).