Visual Performance Fields in Motion — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Jun Wang
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Nora Nickels
Andrew Pustina
James Ripley

Visual Performance Fields in Motion

Name: Leslie Krause
Major: Psychology and Neuro Science
Hometown: Kenosha, Wisconsin
Faculty Sponsor: Leslie Cameron
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: SURE
Funding: SURE

Abstract

Visual performance fields are inhomogeneous. Performance is better on the horizontal than the vertical meridian (Horizontal Vertical Anisotropy (HVA)) and is often better in the lower visual field (Vertical Asymmetry (VA)). Performance is particularly poor on the vertical meridian above the point of fixation (the north effect), and sometimes, below the point of fixation (the south effect). Visual field inhomogeneities are primarily explored using stationary stimuli, such as Gabor patches and inhomogeneities become more pronounced as spatial frequency (SF) increases. Relatively few studies have described visual field inhomogeneities using moving stimuli and none have explored the effect of SF. This study examined visual field inhomogeneities with drifting Gabors at 4 SFs (0.5-8cpd). Five participants performed a 2AFC direction discrimination task with 1 degree Gabors drifting at 4 Hz. Stimuli were presented at one of 8 equally-spaced target locations, at 4.5 deg eccentricity. Visual field inhomogeneities were quantified by fitting data with hemi-ellipses (see Anderson, Cameron & Levine, 2014). An HVA was observed at all SFs. Surprisingly, a VA was not observed. In fact, performance was better in the upper visual field at all SFs except the 0.5cpd condition. A north effect was observed at all SFs with the exception of 0.5cpd and a trend for a south effect emerged at 2 and 4cpd, but was not evident at 0.5 and 8cpd. In a control study a north effect was observed at low SF when the target size was doubled (i.e., more cycles in the Gabor). These results suggest that the ability to detect direction of motion is similar to the ability to detect orientation. Both capabilities may depend on a more primitive detection process at some earlier processing stage.

Note: This abstract was accepted and will be presented at the 2016 Vision Sciences Society Annual Meeting.

Poster file