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Published on: March 14, 2012
Prediction of transparency perception based on cone-excitation ratios
Caterina Ripamonti1, Stephen Westland
1Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA. ripamont@psych.upenn.edu
Abstract:
Perceptual transparency was measured in two experiments by using simulations of illuminated surfaces presented on a CRT monitor. In a two-alternative forced-choice paradigm, observers viewed two simulated Mondrians in temporal sequence. In one sequence the Mondrian was simulated to be partially covered by a transparent filter; in the other sequence the filter color over each Mondrian patch was modified. Observers were instructed to select the sequence containing a transparent filter. Observers' selections corresponded to sequences in which the cone-excitation ratios for each adjacent pair of Mondrian patches were approximately the same as the cone-excitation ratios for the pair of patches covered by a filter. The results suggest that cone-excitation ratios may be a cue for perceptual transparency.
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