An orientation-tuned component in the contrast masking of stereopsis

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) Vol. 33; no. 11; pp. 1535 - 1544
• Main Authors: Mansfield, J.S., Parker, A.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.07.1993; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Binocular vision; Biological and medical sciences; Depth Perception - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Masking; Orientation; Perception; Perceptual Masking - physiology; Photic Stimulation - instrumentation; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychophysics; Space life sciences; Spatial frequency; Stereopsis; Vision; Vision, Binocular - physiology; Spatial frequency; Masking; Binocular vision; Stereopsis; Orientation; Human; Visual stimulus; Spatial orientation; Perception
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/0042-6989(93)90146-N

A masking paradigm was used to evaluate the orientation selectivity of the mechanisms mediating human stereopsis. Two experienced and eleven naive observers viewed stereograms, spatially filtered to contain contrast energy with Gaussian passbands in spatial frequency and orientation. Using forced-choice procedures we measured contrast thresholds for stereopsis in the presence of oriented masking patterns. Our results show that the masking of stereopsis consists of two components: one is orientation dependent, the other is non-oriented and has greatest magnitude at lower spatial frequencies. Contrary to an earlier study, these results imply that stereopsis mechanisms may have similar orientation tuning to mechanisms mediating contrast detection.