Abstract
Spatial geometric distortions, such as image skew, recurrently occur in the visual world when using spectacles like progressive additional lenses. Image skew alters form information as well as motion direction statistics of the natural world. The visual system seems to compensate for these alterations during habituation to distoritons of spectacles. Here, we tested whether the interaction between form and motion cortical processing contributes to habituation to distortions of the natural visual world. A motion direction adaptation aftereffect (MAE), induced by distorted form and motion features of ecological stimuli, was psychophysically evaluated with a constant stimulus procedure in 10 observers. MAE was tested with two types of adapting stimuli; type 1: skewed dynamic natural image sequences (both form and motion features), type 2: skewed static natural images (only form feature). After exposure to either of the adapting stimuli, observers identified if the direction of coherently moving random dots was either diagonally up or diagonally down. The aftereffect was quantified by the point of subjective equality (PSE), i.e. the direction of the moving dots percieved as horizontal. After exposure to both types of the adapting stimuli, the PSE significantly shifted to the adapting skew direction, p< 0.05. The reported perceptual adjustment in motion perception after exposure to distortion induced alterations of form feature in static natural images reveals interaction between form and motion visual processing. Thus, cortical interactions in form-motion processing possibly partakes in the process of habituation to geometric distortions of the natural environment.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2018