Interocular Separation Research Articles

The nature of holistic processing in face and object recognition: current opinions

The nature of holistic processing in face and object recognition: current opinions

Face Context Advantage Explained by Vernier and Separation Discrimination Acuity

Seeing facial features in the context of a full face is known to provide an advantage for perception. Using an interocular separation perception task we confirmed that seeing eyes within the context of a face improves discrimination in synthetic faces. We also show that this improvement of the face context can be explained using the presence of individual components of the face such as the nose mouth, or head-outline. We demonstrate that improvements due to the presence of the nose, and head-outline can be explained in terms of two-point separation measurements, obeying Weber’s law as established in the literature. We also demonstrate that performance improvements due to the presence of the mouth can be explained in terms of Vernier acuity judgments between eye positions and the corners of the mouth. Overall, our study shows that the improvements in perception of facial features due to the face context effect can be traced to well understood basic visual measurements that may play a very general role in perceptual measurements of distance. Deficiencies in these measurements may also play a role in prosopagnosia. Additionally, we show interference of the eyebrows with the face-inversion effect for interocular discrimination.

The effect of interocular separation on perceived depth from disparity in complex scenes

The effect of interocular separation on perceived depth from disparity in complex scenes

The effect of interocular separation on perceived depth from disparity in complex scenes

The effect of interocular separation on perceived depth from disparity in complex scenes

Eyepiece focus and vergence/accommodation conflict: Implications for night‐vision devices

Abstract— Aviation increasingly conducts night operations using night‐vision devices. However, design of some aspects may limit performance. As pointed out by Kotulak, vergence/accommodation mismatch in NVDs, usually due to eyepiece focus misadjustments, is sometimes a source of visual acuity (VA) decrement. The increased separation between sensors, existing in some binocular helmetmounted displays, was also identified to be potentially responsible for decreased VA at short distances. Based upon knowledge pertaining to vergence and accommodation, a study was performed to better understand the problem of dissociation accommodation/convergence. Different conditions of interocular separation and viewing distances were used. Twelve subjects participated and were asked to resolve Landolt C charts using night‐vision goggles. The results show that, with the eyepiece focus fixed at 10 m, the decrease in VA is roughly proportional to the interocular separation, when looking at short distances. A fixed eyepiece focus at 4 m considerably reduces the conflict and results in improved VA. An additional experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of fixing the objective lenses focus at infinity. With this setting, the decrease in VA at a short distance was such that effects of the mismatch accommodation/convergence are no longer apparent regardless of the interocular separation.

Young Children Do Not Integrate Visual and Haptic Form Information

Several studies have shown that adults integrate visual and haptic information (and information from other modalities) in a statistically optimal fashion, weighting each sense according to its reliability [1, 2]. When does this capacity for crossmodal integration develop? Here, we show that prior to 8 years of age, integration of visual and haptic spatial information is far from optimal, with either vision or touch dominating totally, even in conditions in which the dominant sense is far less precise than the other (assessed by discrimination thresholds). For size discrimination, haptic information dominates in determining both perceived size and discrimination thresholds, whereas for orientation discrimination, vision dominates. By 8-10 years, the integration becomes statistically optimal, like adults. We suggest that during development, perceptual systems require constant recalibration, for which cross-sensory comparison is important. Using one sense to calibrate the other precludes useful combination of the two sources.

Humans Ignore Motion and Stereo Cues in Favor of a Fictional Stable World

As we move through the world, our eyes acquire a sequence of images. The information from this sequence is sufficient to determine the structure of a three-dimensional scene, up to a scale factor determined by the distance that the eyes have moved. Previous evidence shows that the human visual system accounts for the distance the observer has walked and the separation of the eyes when judging the scale, shape, and distance of objects. However, in an immersive virtual-reality environment, observers failed to notice when a scene expanded or contracted, despite having consistent information about scale from both distance walked and binocular vision. This failure led to large errors in judging the size of objects. The pattern of errors cannot be explained by assuming a visual reconstruction of the scene with an incorrect estimate of interocular separation or distance walked. Instead, it is consistent with a Bayesian model of cue integration in which the efficacy of motion and disparity cues is greater at near viewing distances. Our results imply that observers are more willing to adjust their estimate of interocular separation or distance walked than to accept that the scene has changed in size.

The adaptive effect of narrowing the interocular separation on the AC/A ratio

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the response AC/A ratio could be altered when the subject’s interpupillary distance (IPD) was optically halved. We measured the changes in the AC/A ratio for 10 subjects after using the optical device for 30 min. Accommodative response was measured using a Canon R-1 optometer, and vergence response was measured with an ASL 210 Eye Movement Monitor. The average AC/A ratios were 1.20 ± 0.35 (SD) (MA/D) and 0.84 ± 0.39 (MA/D) before and after wearing the device, respectively. The decrease in AC/A ratio was statistically significant ( p = 0.01). This was mainly caused by a reduction in the slope of the accommodative vergence. The results of this study suggest that the AC/A ratio can be decreased if an IPD-narrowing device is used. A possible application of this mechanism in the study of myopia is discussed.

Discriminating the role of binocular information in the timing of a one-handed catch

Previous work using prediction-motion tasks has indicated that time-to-contact estimates are based exclusively on binocular information when the approaching object is small. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of object size on the use of binocular information sources in specifying time-to-contact in one-handed catching. Subjects (n = 10) were required to time their grasp to catch different-sized balls (60, 80, and 100 mm in diameter) approaching with a constant spatial trajectory and constant velocity of 2.0 m/s. Binocular information was manipulated with a telestereoscope that increased the individuals' effective interocular separation. Subjects performed six trials with each of the different-sized balls in normal and telestereoscopic viewing conditions. It was found that subjects closed the hand earlier when catching the small and medium balls under telestereoscopic viewing compared with normal viewing; furthermore, that subjects closed their hand earlier for the small and medium balls compared with the large ball under telestereoscopic viewing. With regard to hand aperture, there was an effect of ball size, with the hand being opened to a wider aperture for each increase in ball size. Subjects also opened the hand to a wider aperture when catching the small and medium balls under telestereoscopic viewing. These findings are consistent with the notion of an increased reliance on the use of binocular information when the approaching object is small. Furthermore, they indicate that binocular and monocular sources of information are not used in isolation, but rather in combination to support the timing of one-handed catching.

Timing a one-handed catch. I. Effects of telestereoscopic viewing.

The aim of this study was to examine the role of binocular and monocular information sources in specifying time-to-contact. More specifically, it was investigated whether the timing of the one-handed catch is consistent with a binocular tau-function strategy. Subjects (n=8) were required to time their grasp to catch a ball approaching with a constant spatial trajectory. The ball approached at three different constant velocities (1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 m/s). Vergence and disparity were manipulated through subjects wearing a telestereoscope to increase the effective interocular separation, under both binocular and monocular viewing. Subjects performed 24 trials in each of the four conditions. Subjects' started the opening of the hand earlier in the binocular telestereoscope condition when a ball approached with velocity of 1. 5 m/s. They then closed the hand earlier in the binocular telestereoscope condition at all ball approach velocities. There were no effects of telestereoscope on the timing of hand opening and closing under monocular viewing. This finding suggests the use of the binocular information in timing the grasp. However, there were effects of approach velocity under all conditions of monocular and binocular viewing. Subjects' closed the hand earlier as a function of increasing approach velocity. Together, the effects of the telestereoscope and approach velocity indicate that timing of the one-handed catch is not consistent with the use of a binocular "tau-function" variable. Rather, it is concluded that multiple sources of monocular and binocular information contribute to the regulation of timing.

Gain changes in the accommodative convergence cross-link

The output of the accommodative vergence cross-link, the ACA ratio, was measured before and after subjects viewed through a telestereoscope which increased their interocular separation (pd) approximately fourfold. The initial paradigm was designed to force an increase in the ACA ratio in that subjects alternately fixated targets set at differing distances. In this paradigm, the varying vergence demands could not be met by a constant increase in phasic or tonic vergence responses. In a second paradigm, only one target was viewed at a fixed position from the eye. Now the constant vergence demand could be met by a set increase in phasic and/or tonic vergence. A significant increase in the ACA ratio was found in the two-target study but not in the single-target study. Increases in the accommodative vergence gain did show considerable individual differences. Tonic vergence changes were interpolated from the data. This parameter increased significantly in both cases but more so when two targets were alternately fixated. This finding is consistent with current near triad models which predict that accommodative convergence input acts along with disparity vergence input to increase tonic levels of convergence. When ACA ratios were calculated using clinical measures of the phoria at 6 and 0.4 m, increases were found in the two-target study and to a lesser degree in the single-target study. This clinical method of ACA measure appears to have been confounded by changes in tonic vergence.

Gain changes in the accommodative convergence cross‐link

The output of the accommodative vergence cross-link, the AC/A ratio, was measured before and after subjects viewed through a telestereoscope which increased their interocular separation (pd) approximately fourfold. The initial paradigm was designed to force an increase in the AC/A ratio in that subjects alternately fixated targets set at differing distances. In this paradigm, the varying vergence demands could not be met by a constant increase in phasic or tonic vergence responses. In a second paradigm, only one target was viewed at a fixed position from the eye. Now the constant vergence demand could be met by a set increase in phasic and/or tonic vergence. A significant increase in the AC/A ratio was found in the two-target study but not in the single-target study. Increases in the accommodative vergence gain did show considerable individual differences. Tonic vergence changes were interpolated from the data. This parameter increased significantly in both cases but more so when two targets were alternately fixated. This finding is consistent with current near triad models which predict that accommodative convergence input acts along with disparity vergence input to increase tonic levels of convergence. When AC/A ratios were calculated using clinical measures of the phoria at 6 and 0.4 m, increases were found in the two-target study and to a lesser degree in the single-target study. This clinical method of AC/A measure appears to have been confounded by changes in tonic vergence.

Behavioral studies of local stereopsis and disparity vergence in monkeys

Investigations on macaque monkeys have provided much of our knowledge of the neural mechanisms of binocular vision, but there is little psychophysical data on the accuracy of vergence responses or the precision of stereoscopic depth perception in these primates. We have conducted comparative behavioral studies of binocular disparity processing in rhesus monkeys and humans via measurements of prism-induced fixation disparities (disparity vergence) and relative depth discrimination for spatially localized stimuli (local stereopsis). The results of these studies demonstrated a remarkable similarity in both the oculomotor and the sensory aspects of binocular vision in the two species when the stimulus dimensions were specified in visual angels, which were independent of interocular separation. The disparity vergence functions for the two species revealed fusion responses over the same range of prism-induced vergence and comparable vergence errors for stimuli near their fusional limits. Disparity vergence responses were independent of the spatial frequency of the binocular fusion stimulus. Stereothresholds as a function of the spatial frequency of the difference-of-Gaussian stimuli were of the same form, with equivalent stereoacuities, in monkey and human observers. The presence of substantial vergence errors had only a small effect on the precision of stereoscopic depth perception. We conclude that, after compensation for the differences in the lateral separation of their eyes, the operating characteristics of disparity vergence and stereoscopic vision are virtually identical in rhesus monkeys and humans and, consequently, the performance limits for these visual functions must be determined by anatomical and/or neural constraints that are similar in both species.

Visual hemispheric dominance induced in split brain cats during development: a model of deficient interhemispheric transfer derived from physiological evidence in single visual cortex cells.

The effects of cancellation of both interhemispheric callosal transfer and interocular interactions, were studied in early monocularly deprived cats. The main purpose of this study was therefore to prove whether unilateral hemispheric dominance would result under these conditions and to what extent each hemisphere will be functionally independent. Secondly, we have attempted to establish such an experimental model physiologically, on the single cell level. Interhemispheric transfer was surgically canceled by sagittal transection of the corpus callosum. In addition, the ocular projections were separated by sagittal transection of the optic chiasm in the transbuccal approach. This condition had practically induced visual split brain condition in these cats. These manipulations were carried out concurrently with monocular deprivation (SBDK group) which was surgically done by eye closure during the critical period of development of the visual system. Thus, the hemisphere ipsilaterally to the visually deprived eye had developed under conditions of deficient visual experience while the hemisphere ipsilaterally to the normal eye had developed under conditions of unaltered visual experience. A group of cats (SBK) similarly operated but equally binocularly exposed during development was served as controls. In addition, adult cats similarly operated during adulthood either chronically or acutely were studied to evaluate the effects of interhemispheric and interocular separation. Other groups of cats were also studied for comparison, and included sham operated and normal adult cats. At adulthood, electrophysiological studies were done on these cats, in which action potentials were extracellularly recorded from single cells in the visual cortex (area 17-18 boundary) following anesthesia and paralysis. Stimulation was carried out manually and by a computer driven optical system, presenting on a tangent screen light bars at various spatial positions, orientations and directions. Receptive fields were thus mapped for all neurons and their dimensions and eccentricities were measured. The responsiveness, ocular dominance and other parameters were also studied for these cells. The results in the early deprived cats and in their controls, had shown a full separation between the two hemispheres, as reflected in the almost absolute ipsilateral eye responsiveness (> 97.0% cells). In comparison, in the sham operated and in the normal control cats only minor proportions of cells (13.0-18.7%) have been found as ipsilaterally and monocularly driven, showing almost full interhemispheric and interocular interaction. The main difference, however, in the results between the early monocularly deprived cats and their controls is that in the first group the two hemispheres were asymmetric concerning the amount of visual activation and in the second one they were very symmetric.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adaptation to Optically-Increased Interocular Separation under Naturalistic Viewing Conditions

Mirror spectacles which enhance binocular disparity by optically doubling the normal separation between the eyes were used to create conditions of combined perceptual and oculomotor conflict. Apparent depth and distance, as well as tonic accommodation, tonic vergence, and accommodative-vergence gain (response AC/A ratio), were assessed immediately before and after a 30 min exposure period of naturalistic viewing with the spectacles. Wearing the spectacles produced an increase in tonic vergence, and perceptual aftereffects consisting of increased apparent distance and depth. The results indicate that oculomotor conflict associated with enhanced interocular separation may be resolved through adaptation of tonic vergence, rather than through alteration of accommodative-vergence gain. The results also demonstrate that perceptual conflict between disparity and multiple veridical depth cues does not necessarily produce adaptive modification of the relationship between binocular disparity and apparent depth.

Adaptation to telestereoscopic viewing measured by one-handed ball-catching performance.

A one-handed ball-catching task was used to study the disturbance of depth judgement induced by telestereoscopic viewing (ie viewing with increased effective interocular separation), the recovery of performance with experience in the telestereoscope, and the errors that subsequently arose when the telestereoscope was removed. The ball's trajectory was variable so that subjects had to control both the position and the timing of the grasp in order to catch the ball. On first wearing the telestereoscope, subjects closed the hand when the ball was approximately twice as far away from the eyes as the hand was. After fewer than twenty trials in the telestereoscope subjects were closing the hand at approximately the correct time and place, although rather more trials were needed for ball-catching performance to recover to normal. When the telestereoscope was removed there was an aftereffect, with subjects making the opposite errors to when they began the task. The existence of an aftereffect shows that the process of adaptation involves reevaluation rather than neglect of the misleading binocular information. Helmholtz's theory that telestereoscopes cause the world to be perceived as a scale model is considered. Initial misreaching is roughly consistent with this theory, but there are insufficient data to test it rigorously. Data from the aftereffect phase are clearly inconsistent with the theory. The results confirm the importance of binocular information in dynamic motor tasks, such as ball catching.

Errata

Volume 13, 1984, pages 739–742 Effects of stimulus context on preference judgements for salt Richard R Shepherd, Cynthia A Farleigh, Derek G Land In the text on page 739 (lines 26 and 27) the concentration should read “98 to 1180 mgNa” ( not NaCl), and in figure 1 on page 740 the abscissa label should read “concentration (mg Na/100 g soup)” (again, noiNaCl). Volume 14, 1985, pages 499–500 A note on the inconsistency of the substitution model for taste mixtures Cees de Graaf, Jan E R Frijters In the name of the second author (page 499) the letters j and t have been transposed. The correct name is Jan E R Frijters, as given above. Volume 14, pages 617–629 Changes in the coupling between accommodation and vergence eye movements induced in human subjects by altering the effective interocular separation Stuart J Judge, Frederick A Miles In the text on page 622 (lines 17 and 18) the values given for the preadaptation gain and postadaptation gain are incorrect. The correct statement is “… the preadaptation gain is 0.64 ± 0.034 and postadaptation gain 0.93 ± 0.026”.

Changes in the coupling between accommodation and vergence eye movements induced in human subjects by altering the effective interocular separation.

It has usually been thought that the coupling between accommodation and convergence of the eyes is fixed and not modifiable by experience. Experiments are reported which show that the ratio of accommodative vergence to the accommodation stimulus, the stimulus AC/A ratio (one measure of the coupling), is elevated by brief periods (approximately 30 min) of experience of viewing the world through periscopic spectacles which increase the effective interocular separation. Experience of viewing through 'cyclopean' spectacles, which superimpose the line of sight of the two eyes, reduced the stimulus AC/A ratio in one subject and increased it in another, while it remained hardly affected in a third.

Interhemispheric transmission time and visual eccentricity

The effects of cancellation of both interhemispheric callosal transfer and interocular interactions, were studied in early monocularly deprived cats. The main purpose of this study was therefore to prove whether unilateral hemispheric dominance would result under these conditions and to what extent each hemisphere will be functionally independent. Secondly, we have attempted to establish such an experimental model physiologically, on the single cell level. Interhemispheric transfer was surgically canceled by sagittal transection of the corpus callosum. In addition, the ocular projections were separated by sagittal transection of the optic chiasm in the transbuccal approach. This condition had practically induced visual split brain condition in these cats. These manipulations were carried out concurrently with monocular deprivation (SBDK group) which was surgically done by eye closure during the critical period of development of the visual system. Thus, the hemisphere ipsilaterally to the visually deprived eye had developed under conditions of deficient visual experience while the hemisphere ipsilaterally to the normal eye had developed under conditions of unaltered visual experience. A group of cats (SBK) similarly operated but equally binocularly exposed during development was served as controls. In addition, adult cats similarly operated during adulthood either chronically or acutely were studied to evaluate the effects of interhemispheric and interocular separation. Other groups of cats were also studied for comparison, and included sham operated and normal adult cats. At adulthood, electrophysiological studies were done on these cats, in which action potentials were extracellularly recorded from single cells in the visual cortex (area 17–18 boundary) following anesthesia and paralysis. Stimulation was carried out manually and by a computer driven optical system, presenting on a tangent screen light bars at various spatial positions, orientations and directions. Receptive fields were thus mapped for all neurons and their dimensions and eccentricities were measured. The responsiveness, ocular dominance and other parameters were also studied for these cells. The results in the early deprived cats and in their controls, had shown a full separation between the two hemispheres, as reflected in the almost absolute ipsilateral eye responsiveness ( 97.0% cells). In comparison, in the sham operated and in the normal control cats only minor proportions of cells (13.0–18.7%) have been found as ipsilaterally and monocularly driven, showing almost full interhemispheric and interocular interaction. The main difference, however, in the results between the early monocularly deprived cats and their controls is that in the first group the two hemispheres were asymmetric concerning the amount of visual activation and in the second one they were very symmetric. This is shown by the fact that 67.9% of the cells were visually responsive in the normal (right) hemisphere and only 36.2% in the inexperienced (left) hemisphere of the SBDK group, while in the SBK group the proportions were 68.5% and 69.6% in the right and in the left hemispheres, respectively. The visually experienced hemisphere of SBDK cats had also dominated the inexperienced one as reflected in the increased proportion of orientation specific (86.6% in comparison to 71.4%) and direction specific (76.4% in comparison to 44.1%) cells, out of all responsive cells. Other parameters of the receptive field quality have been also affected as expressed in the remarkable increase in the proportion of irregular cells (e.g. cells with diffuse, incomplete and other irregular properties) in the inexperienced in comparison to the fellow hemisphere. Our results in the other groups of split brain adult cats (chronic and acute) confirm the finding that the asymmetry induced in the SBDK cats is the result of the almost differential activation of the two hemispheres during development. It has been concluded that an experience dependent asymmetric cerebral dominance occurs in the brain following biased visual experience and without interhemispheric interaction. This condition may serve as a model of hemispheric dominance in the visual and other sensory systems.

Measurement of interpupillary distance with chromostereopsis.

Chromostereopsis is a perceived depth difference between coplanar objects of different color and can be used for highly accurate measurement of interocular separation (PD). A survey of PD measurement with chromostereopsis and with the PD rule on 83 subjects shows that these methods on average result in the same PD, indicating that chromostereopsis is a valid technique for PD measurement. Repeated PD measures by these 83 individuals on the authors, using the PD rule and chromostereopsis, shows that the chromostereopsis result is far more repeatable than the PD rule. Suggestions are made for the use of the chromostereopsis technique in optometric practice.