Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Visualizing Visual Adaptation
Published on: April 24, 2017
Central factors contributing to para-contrast modulation of contour and brightness perception
Bruno G Breitmeyer1, Ralph Ziegler, Gert Hauske
1Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204-5022, USA. brunob@uh.edu
Abstract:
Following up on a prior study of contour and brightness processing in visual masking (Breitmeyer et al., 2006), we investigated the effects of a binocular and dichoptic para-contrast masking on the visibility of the contour and brightness of a target presented to the other eye. Combined, the results support the contributions of several cortical processes to para-contrast: (1) two central sources of inhibition, one long-latency and prolonged and the other short-latency and brief; (2) binocular rivalry suppression; and (3) a facilitatory effect peaking at different SOAs for the contour and the brightness tasks, reflecting; (4) known properties of two separate cortical systems, one a fast contour-processing pathway and the other a slower brightness-processing pathway.
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