Gradient representations and the perception of luminosity

• Published in: Vision research (Oxford) Vol. 47; no. 27; pp. 3360 - 3372
• Main Author: Keil, Matthias S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2007; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Brightness; Early vision; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glare; Glow; Humans; Lighting; Lightness; Luminance gradients; Luminosity; Models, Neurological; Models, Psychological; Psychophysics; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual Perception - physiology; Luminosity; Lightness; Luminance gradients; Glow; Brightness; Early vision; Vision; Stimulus brightness; Perception; Early; Stimulus luminance
• ISSN: 0042-6989; 1878-5646
• DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2007.09.018

The neuronal mechanisms that serve to distinguish between light emitting and light reflecting objects are largely unknown. It has been suggested that luminosity perception implements a separate pathway in the visual system, such that luminosity constitutes an independent perceptual feature. Recently, a psychophysical study was conducted to address the question whether luminosity has a feature status or not. However, the results of this study lend support to the hypothesis that luminance gradients are instead a perceptual feature. Here, I show how the perception of luminosity can emerge from a previously proposed neuronal architecture for generating representations of luminance gradients.