Binocular fusion, suppression and diplopia for blurred edges

Abstract

Purpose: (1) To devise a model-based method for estimating the probabilities of binocular fusion, interocular suppression and diplopia from psychophysical judgements, (2) To map out the way fusion, suppression and diplopia vary with binocular disparity and blur of single edges shown to each eye, (3) To compare the binocular interactions found for edges of the same vs opposite contrast polarity. Methods: Test images were single, horizontal, Gaussian-blurred edges, with blur B = 1-32 min arc, and vertical disparity 0-8.B, shown for 200 ms. In the main experiment, observers reported whether they saw one central edge, one offset edge, or two edges. We argue that the relation between these three response categories and the three perceptual states (fusion, suppression, diplopia) is indirect and likely to be distorted by positional noise and criterion effects, and so we developed a descriptive, probabilistic model to estimate both the perceptual states and the noise/criterion parameters from the data. Results: (1) Using simulated data, we validated the model-based method by showing that it recovered fairly accurately the disparity ranges for fusion and suppression, (2) The disparity range for fusion (Panum's limit) increased greatly with blur, in line with previous studies. The disparity range for suppression was similar to the fusion limit at large blurs, but two or three times the fusion limit at small blurs. This meant that diplopia was much more prevalent at larger blurs, (3) Diplopia was much more frequent when the two edges had opposite contrast polarity. A formal comparison of models indicated that fusion occurs for same, but not opposite, polarities. Probability of suppression was greater for unequal contrasts, and it was always the lower-contrast edge that was suppressed. Conclusions: Our model-based data analysis offers a useful tool for probing binocular fusion and suppression psychophysically. The disparity range for fusion increased with edge blur but fell short of complete scale-invariance. The disparity range for suppression also increased with blur but was not close to scale-invariance. Single vision occurs through fusion, but also beyond the fusion range, through suppression. Thus suppression can serve as a mechanism for extending single vision to larger disparities, but mainly for sharper edges where the fusion range is small (5-10 min arc). For large blurs the fusion range is so much larger that no such extension may be needed.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/opo.12108
Divisions: College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Optometry > Optometry
College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Optometry > Optometry & Vision Science Research Group (OVSRG)
College of Health & Life Sciences > School of Psychology
Additional Information: © 2014 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2014 The College of Optometrists. Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY). This work was funded by the BBSRC(UK); grant number BB/H00159X/1.
Uncontrolled Keywords: binocular fusion,blur,contrast polarity,diplopia,disparity,edges,interocular suppression,Ophthalmology,Optometry,Sensory Systems,Medicine(all)
Publication ISSN: 1475-1313
Last Modified: 04 Jan 2024 08:18
Date Deposited: 19 Mar 2014 16:50
Full Text Link: http://onlineli ... .12108/abstract
Related URLs: http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2014-03
Published Online Date: 2014-01-29
Authors: Georgeson, Mark A. (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-8173-9522)
Wallis, Stuart A. (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-3588-055X)

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License: Creative Commons Attribution


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