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Related Experiment Videos

Apparent size and receptive field properties.

L J van Erning1, H J Gerrits, E G Eijkman

  • 1Laboratory for Medical Physics and Biophysics, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Vision Research
|January 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
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The apparent size of squares depends on their contrast with the background, not mean luminance. This visual illusion, where light squares appear larger than dark ones, is influenced by border characteristics.

Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychophysics

Background:

  • The perception of object size is influenced by surrounding luminance and contrast.
  • The size-contrast illusion, where a light figure on a dark ground appears larger than a dark figure on a light ground of equal physical size, is a well-documented phenomenon.
  • Previous research has explored various factors affecting this illusion, but the precise mechanisms remain debated.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of luminance contrast versus mean luminance in the size-contrast illusion.
  • To examine the effect of border characteristics on the apparent size of visual stimuli.
  • To propose a model explaining the observed size-contrast phenomena.

Main Methods:

  • Experimentally presenting squares of specific angular size (109 x 109 min arc) at a defined retinal eccentricity (90 min arc from the fovea).

Related Experiment Videos

  • Manipulating the luminance contrast between the square and its background.
  • Introducing additional luminance steps (lines) at the border of the squares.

    • Main Results:

    • Apparent size was found to be dependent on luminance contrast, not mean luminance near the contour.
    • The addition of lines to the luminance step at the border significantly altered the illusion.
    • An inversion of the illusion was observed at very low contrast values, explained by border modifications.

    Conclusions:

    • The size-contrast illusion is primarily driven by luminance contrast effects at the contour.
    • Border characteristics play a crucial role in modulating the perceived size.
    • A model involving overlapping retinal receptive fields with varying sizes and sensitivities can account for these findings.