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Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
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Contrast dependency and prior expectations in human speed perception.

Grigorios Sotiropoulos1, Aaron R Seitz2, Peggy Seriès1

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The perceived speed of moving objects depends on contrast, but this "Thompson effect" changes at higher speeds. This suggests visual system models need to account for speed tuning and contrast interactions.

Keywords:
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Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Neuroscience
  • Computational modeling

Background:

  • Perceived speed of moving objects is influenced by image contrast, a phenomenon known as the Thompson effect.
  • This effect is often explained by Bayesian inference models incorporating a prior belief of slow object speeds.
  • Existing research suggests the Thompson effect may vary with absolute speed, creating conflicting findings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how the effect of contrast on perceived speed changes with absolute speed.
  • To determine the implications of these findings for Bayesian models of visual perception, particularly those with a slow speed prior.
  • To reconcile conflicting literature on the Thompson effect at different speeds.

Main Methods:

  • Subjects compared the perceived speeds of drifting gratings presented at varying contrasts and absolute speeds.
  • A semi-parametric Bayesian model was employed to infer subjects' speed priors.
  • The Bayesian model was enhanced by integrating a model of speed tuning.

Main Results:

  • At low contrasts (3-15%), the Thompson effect was attenuated at high speeds (8-12deg/s) compared to low speeds (1-4deg/s).
  • At higher contrasts (15-95%), the effect of contrast on perceived speed reversed at higher speeds.
  • The study revealed a dual, contrast-dependent effect of high speeds on perceived motion.

Conclusions:

  • The influence of contrast on perceived speed is not uniform and depends significantly on the absolute speed of the object.
  • Bayesian models need to incorporate physiologically plausible speed representation mechanisms, including speed tuning, to accurately capture human speed perception.
  • These findings help resolve discrepancies in existing literature regarding the Thompson effect and highlight the complexity of visual speed processing.