The Luminance Conditions of Fuchs's Transparency in Two-Dimensional Patterns

Abstract

Fuchs's transparency occurs when the contour of a transparent surface encloses the contour of another surface located on an underlying homogeneous background. The luminance conditions of Fuchs's transparency have not yet been determined. Six experiments were designed to study this problem with achromatic two-dimensional patterns. An ellipse enclosing a coplanar square was briefly presented. It simulated the cast of an elliptical spotlight or shadow on the square. The duration of the ellipse, the luminance of the square before the ellipse appeared, and the luminance of two squares outside the ellipse did not substantially affect the probability of perceiving the ellipse as transparent. However, this probability varied largely with the single values of the stimulus luminance differences and with the order relations of the stimulus luminances. It is concluded that this local and global luminance information conditioned the occurrence of Fuchs's transparency in two-dimensional patterns.