Fading time of retinally-stabilized images as a function of background luminance and target width

Fading time of a retinally-stabilized difference-of-Gaussian (DOG) stimulus depends on the background luminance, contrast and spatial frequency content of the stimulus. A model of the visual system including a nonlinear multiplicative, non-local and fast process followed by a linear subtractive, local and slower process accounts for these effects. Analysis of the fading time data allows us to estimate the spatiotemporal characteristics of the proposed adaptation processes. The model is consistent with recent models of normal light adaptation from the probe-flash paradigm.