Spatial frequency shifts from counterphase flicker and from simultaneous contrast

Abstract

In simultaneous contrast of spatial frequency (SF), a test grating surrounded by a coarser inducing grating looks apparently finer. We combined this effect with another visual illusion; the fact that flickering the inducing grating raises its apparent SF. We found that the inducer's apparent, not physical spatial frequency, drove the simultaneous contrast that it induced into a test grating. Thus, when the inducer was made to flicker, its SF appeared to be higher and consequently, the test's SF appeared lower than before. This suggests that simultaneous contrast of spatial frequency exists further downstream than the flicker-induced increase in perceived SF.