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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

The Measurement and Treatment of Suppression in Amblyopia
Published on: December 14, 2012
Metacontrast with masks varying in spatial frequency and wavelength
M C Williams1, B G Breitmeyer, W J Lovegrove
1Department of Psychology, University of New Orleans, LA 70148.
Abstract:
In a metacontrast masking paradigm, adult subjects were required to detect briefly presented target lines followed at various delays by a flanking mask varying in spatial frequency and wavelength. Detection accuracy, the dependent measure, was recorded as a function of the delay of the mask. The results showed that long wavelength masks produced maximum masking at a relatively short delay, while short wavelength masks produced maximum masking at a relatively long delay. Results are discussed within the framework of transient/sustained (magnocellular/parvocellular) theory of visual processing, and suggest that low spatial frequency channels respond with shorter latency and/or faster rise time to short wavelength stimuli, and high spatial frequency channels respond with greater sensitivity to long wavelength stimuli.
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