Stereoscopic acuity for photometrically matched background wavelengths at scotopic and photopic levels

Abstract

Two Ss made equidistance settings in a two-rod apparatus using white and four chromatic (red, yellow, Feen, and blue) backgrounds, photometrically matched at each of eight or nine teat levels within a total retinal-illuminance range of 4 log units. The binocular depth setting were analyzed in terms of the angular magnitude of both the Yariable error, ηAD, and the constant error, ηΔR When ηAD is plotted as a function of retinal illuminance, the curves for each of the four chromatic IIIId white backlfound coditions show that at low retinal illuminances, ηAD, is initially large, and with increasing background illumination, ηAD progressively decreases to approach a final low asymptotic value. As predicted by the duplicity theory of vision, each experimental curve shows a dircontinulty at about −1.0 lot td (corresponding to a background luminance value of about 0.0069 fL with the 2.5-mm artificial pupil used) reflecting the transition from rod to cone functioning. The curves representing the different wavelengths essentially overlap throughout the total illumination range, indicating that, for both rod and cone vision, wavelength has no differential effect on the variability of depth settings. The data for ηΔR are less regular than those for ηAD and the rod-cone discontinuities appear less pronounced. The data are analyzed in terms of the relative contribution of the rod and cone mechanisms to performance level.