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Author(s): Grossberg, S. |

Year: 1984

Citation: Trends in mathematical psychology, pp. 59-85

Abstract: This paper describes new concepts and mechanisms from a real-time visual processing theory that has been used to explain paradoxical data about brightness and form perception. These data include the Craik-O'Brien effect, the Land brightness and color demonstrations, the fading of stabilized images, neon color spreading, complementary color induction, completion of illusory contours, and binocular rivalry. Two functionally distinct contour processes interact to generate these brightness and form properties in the theory. A Boundary Contour process is sensitive to the amount of contrast but not to the direction of contrast in scenic edges. It includes a binocular matching stage that is sensitive to spatial scale, orientation, and binocular disparity, and whose outcome triggers a process of monocular contour completion. These completed contours form the boundaries of monocular perceptual domains. A Feature Contour process is sensitive to both the amount of contrast and to the direction of contrast in scenic edges. It triggers a diffusive filling-in reaction of featural quality within perceptual domains whose boundaries are dynamically defined by the completed boundary contours. The diffusive filling-in reactions take place within syncytia of cell compartments. These preprocessed monocular representations give rise to a percept via a process of binocular resonance. The percept takes the form of standing waves of patterned activity among multiple spatial scales. The Boundary Contour process is hypothesized to be analogous to interactions between the hypercolumns in area 17 of the visual cortex. The Feature Contour process is hypothesized to be analogous to interactions between the cytochrome oxydase staining blobs in area 17 and prestriate cortex in area 18.

Topics: Biological Vision,

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