Spatial structure, phase, and the contrast of natural images

Reuben Rideaux; Rebecca K West; Thomas S A Wallis; Peter J Bex; Jason B Mattingley; William J Harrison

doi:10.1167/JOV.22.1.4

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Spatial structure, phase, and the contrast of natural images

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Spatial structure, phase, and the contrast of natural images

Reuben Rideaux, Rebecca K West, Thomas S A Wallis, Peter J Bex, Jason B Mattingley and William J Harrison

Journal of Vision, Vol.22(1), pp.1-19

2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1167/JOV.22.1.4

PMCID: PMC8762697

PMID: 35006237

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Abstract

image statistics

perceptual function

cognitive function

target detection

The sensitivity of the human visual system is thought to be shaped by environmental statistics. A major endeavor in vision science, therefore, is to uncover the image statistics that predict perceptual and cognitive function. When searching for targets in natural images, for example, it has recently been proposed that target detection is inversely related to the spatial similarity of the target to its local background. We tested this hypothesis by measuring observers' sensitivity to targets that were blended with natural image backgrounds. Targets were designed to have a spatial structure that was either similar or dissimilar to the background. Contrary to masking from similarity, we found that observers were most sensitive to targets that were most similar to their backgrounds. We hypothesized that a coincidence of phase alignment between target and background results in a local contrast signal that facilitates detection when target-background similarity is high. We confirmed this prediction in a second experiment. Indeed, we show that, by solely manipulating the phase of a target relative to its background, the target can be rendered easily visible or undetectable. Our study thus reveals that, in addition to its structural similarity, the phase of the target relative to the background must be considered when predicting detection sensitivity in natural images.

Details

Title: Spatial structure, phase, and the contrast of natural images
Authors: Reuben Rideaux (Author) - The University of Queensland
Rebecca K West (Author) - The University of Queensland
Thomas S A Wallis (Author) - Technische Universität Darmstadt (Darmstadt, Germany)
Peter J Bex (Author) - Northeastern University
Jason B Mattingley (Author) - The University of Queensland
William J Harrison (Corresponding Author) - The University of Queensland
Publication details: Journal of Vision, Vol.22(1), pp.1-19
Publisher: Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Date published: 2022
DOI: 10.1167/JOV.22.1.4
ISSN: 1534-7362
PMID: 35006237; PMC8762697
Copyright note: Copyright 2022 The Authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Grants: The influence of naturalistic context on visual short-term memory, DE190100136, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Understanding how the brain combines sensory information, DE210100790, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, CE140100007, Australian Research Council (Australia, Canberra) - ARC
Organisation Unit: School of Health - Psychology
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99996797302621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Ophthalmology