Chromatic masking in the (ΔL/L, ΔM/M) plane of cone-contrast space reveals only two detection mechanisms

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) Vol. 38; no. 24; pp. 3913 - 3926
• Main Authors: Giulianini, Franco, Eskew, Rhea T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.1998; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Chromatic detection; Chromatic masking; Color Perception - physiology; Contrast Sensitivity - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Higher order chromatic mechanism; Humans; Male; Mathematics; Models, Neurological; Opponent mechanism; Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology; Perception; Perceptual Masking - physiology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychophysics; Retinal Cone Photoreceptor Cells - physiology; Sensory Thresholds - physiology; Vision; Chromatic detection; Higher order chromatic mechanism; Opponent mechanism; Chromatic masking; Human; Cone; Perception threshold; Photoreceptor; Retina; Psychophysics; Experimental study; Eye; Visual system; Visual stimulus; Color vision; Visual pathway; Detection threshold; Information processing; Perception; Masking
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/S0042-6989(98)00068-6

The post-receptoral mechanisms that mediate detection of stimuli in the (ΔL/L, ΔM/M) plane of color space were characterized using noise masking. Chromatic masking noises of different chromaticities and spatial configurations were used, and threshold contours for the detection of Gaussian and Gabor tests were measured. The results do not show masking that is narrowly-selective for the chromaticity of the noise. On the contrary, our findings suggest that detection of these tests is mediated only by an opponent chromatic mechanism (a red-green mechanism) and a non-opponent luminance mechanism. These results are not consistent with the hypothesis of multiple chromatic mechanisms mediating detection in this color plane [1].