The precision of velocity discrimination across spatial frequency

Abstract

The precision of velocity coding for moving stimuli of different spatial frequencies was assessed by measuring velocity discrimination thresholds for a 1-c/deg grating paired with a grating whose spatial frequency ranged from 0.25 to 4 c/deg and for grating pairs of the same spatial frequency (0.25, 1, and 4 c/deg). The gratings always moved upward, with velocities ranging from 0.5 to 16 deg/sec. Velocity discrimination was as precise for stimuli that varied in spatial frequency by ±2 octaves (0.25 vs. 1 c/deg and 4 vs. 1 c/deg) as for stimuli of the same spatial frequency, for specific ranges of velocity that depended on the spatial and, therefore, the temporal frequencies of the stimuli. Compared with a 1-c/deg grating, the perceived velocity of 4-c/deg gratings was about 1.3 times faster and that of 0.25-c/deg gratings was about 1.3 times slower. Although these perceived velocity biases imply variation of velocity -signal processing among spatial frequency channels, the discrimination results indicate that the motion-sensing system can compare signals across different spatial frequency channels to make fine velocity discrimination within appropriate temporal frequency limits.