Multiple groups of orientation-selective visual mechanisms underlying rapid orientated-line detection.

ABSTRACT: Visual search for an edge or line element differing in orientation from a background of other edge or line elements can be performed rapidly and effortlessly. In this study, based on psychophysical measurements with ten human observers, threshold values of the angle between a target and background line elements were obtained as functions of background-element orientation, in brief masked displays. A repeated-loess analysis of the threshold functions suggested the existence of several groups of orientation-selective mechanisms contributing to rapid orientated-line detection; specifically, coarse, intermediate and fine mechanisms with preferred orientations spaced at angles of approximately 90 degrees, 35 degrees, and 10 degrees-25 degrees, respectively. The preferred orientations of coarse

SUBMITTER: Foster DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1689336 | biostudies-literature | 1998 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature