Abstract
It has been known for a long time that small orientation differences between gratings presented to the two eyes generate a stereoscopic perception of slant. However, large differences trigger binocular rivalry. A dynamical model will be presented that explains both the stereoscopic percept and rivalry, along with binocular contrast matching data. Key to the model is the presence of two sets of inhibitory neurons: one of which operates between similar orientations to normalize contrast, and a second that functions to suppress very different orientations in the two eyes. The first set of inhibitory neurons also functions as a switch to shut off activity in the latter under appropriate conditions. The model predicts that unequal contrasts in the two monocular images will result in a reduced perception of slant, and experimental results support this. Computations also suggest that rivalry ensues at the point where the orientation difference between the two eyes is greater than that existing in natural images.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2014