Abstract

Several authors have proposed mechanisms in which the output of local Fourier analyzers are combined to mediate texture perception and segregation. We psychophysically investigate properties of these mechanisms in human vision by examining the ability to discriminate between texture-like patterns. We describe the relationship between performance and the contrast of Fourier elements comprising the texture patterns and examine how this relationship changes with a) the superimposition of additional components drawn from very different regions of the Fourier domain, b) the spatial extent of the pattern, and c) the type of information upon which the discrimination is based. Our findings suggest a nonlinear mechanism that combines activity rates over wide regions of both the Fourier and the spatial domains and uses preferred patterns of combination even if they are suboptimal. Regions of combination depend upon the decision task.

© 1992 Optical Society of America