""""""""Perceiving-the-present"""""""" refers to the idea that the visual system attempts to correct for the retina-to-percept delay. Changizi has shown that the classical geometrical illusions are consequences of this strategy of vision, and argues in this proposal that the same idea extends to more than two dozen other classes of illusion, such as (a) size contrast, (b) objects appear to move faster in parts of the visual field with high spatial frequency, (c) greater spatial frequency objects appear lower in luminance contrast, (d) motion contrast, (e) objects with greater luminance contrast appear both larger and faster, (f) targets in high luminance contrast surrounds appear lower in luminance contrast, (g) depth contrast, and (h) objects viewed more foveally appear both larger and faster. The proposed research would use two-alternative forced choice and nulling designs to test the more than two dozen predictions made by this hypothesis, with the hope of confirming what appears to be a central principle governing visual perception. Such elucidation of the function computed by the visual system is of great use, for without understanding function, one cannot make sense of the mechanisms implementing those functions in the brain.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F32)
Project #
5F32EY015370-02
Application #
6822609
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F02B (20))
Program Officer
Oberdorfer, Michael
Project Start
2003-12-01
Project End
2006-11-30
Budget Start
2004-12-01
Budget End
2005-11-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$57,536
Indirect Cost
Name
California Institute of Technology
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
009584210
City
Pasadena
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
91125
Changizi, Mark A; Shimojo, Shinsuke (2008) A functional explanation for the effects of visual exposure on preference. Perception 37:1510-9
Changizi, Mark A; Shimojo, Shinsuke (2008) ""X-ray vision"" and the evolution of forward-facing eyes. J Theor Biol 254:756-67
Changizi, Mark A (2006) The optimal human ventral stream from estimates of the complexity of visual objects. Biol Cybern 94:415-26
Changizi, Mark A; Zhang, Qiong; Shimojo, Shinsuke (2006) Bare skin, blood and the evolution of primate colour vision. Biol Lett 2:217-21
Changizi, Mark A; Zhang, Qiong; Ye, Hao et al. (2006) The structures of letters and symbols throughout human history are selected to match those found in objects in natural scenes. Am Nat 167:E117-39
Changizi, Mark A; Shimojo, Shinsuke (2005) Parcellation and area-area connectivity as a function of neocortex size. Brain Behav Evol 66:88-98