Investigation on the sampling mechanism of human vision

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to confirm the hypothesis that the sampling way of visual scenes is continuous sampling by using the analysis of the illusion occurred in the rotating radiation pattern under stroboscopic light. The sampling way of the eyes has been debated since D.Purves et al. suggested the discrete-frame theory. Through many assertions, it is about clear that discrete-frame theory cannot explain the sampling way of the eyes. Under continuous light, however, illusions do not make contradiction to the hypothesis that the eyes sample visual scenes continuously. So the prediction is done: if the continuous sampling hypothesis is right, what patterns of illusions would occur in the rotating radiation pattern under stroboscopic light. According to the prediction, there are some ranges of angular speed at which the illusions of the entire gray area occur and the other ranges at which the multiple stroke illusions occur. Experiment was conducted with flickering LEDs whose frequency was 60Hz and a rotating radiation pattern driven by a step motor. From the result of the experiment, the pattern of the multiple stroke illusion and the angular speed at which the multiple stroke illusions occur fit well the prediction. However, at some angular speeds at which the illusions of the gray color are predicted to occur, there were illusions whose pattern is the same as the radiation patterns. The occurrence of the illusion whose pattern is the same as radiation pattern can be explained by that the eyes sample visual scenes discretely. Therefore, in the eyes, discrete and continuous samplings seem to coexist with continuous sampling having dominance over discrete sampling. © 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.