Abstract

From our steady-state flicker data, Kelly’s (1971) model correctly predicts the transient thresholds for rectangular pulses of variable duration when the (flickering or flashed) stimulus is a 4 cycle/deg grating, but the same prediction fails for a uniform (8°) field. However, if we augment the model with a “hard” nonlinearity, we can fit both types of transient thresholds as well as the steady-state thresholds. The most plausible embodiment of this essential nonlinearity is an asymmetric recifier, which seems to represent the behavior of retinal ganglion cells. Unlike the symmetric models of Roufs and Rashbass, this asymmetry also correctly predicts that the decrement thresholds for some stimuli are smaller than the corresponding increment thresholds.

© 1978 Optical Society of America

Theory of Flicker and Transient Responses,* II. Counterphase Gratings

D. H. Kelly
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 61(5) 632-640 (1971)

Theory of Flicker and Transient Responses, I. Uniform Fields*

D. H. Kelly
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 61(4) 537-546 (1971)

Nonlinear visual responses to flickering sinusoidal gratings

D. H. Kelly
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71(9) 1051-1055 (1981)

Diffusion Model of Linear Flicker Responses*

D. H. Kelly
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 59(12) 1665-1670 (1969)

A general zone theory of color and brightness vision. II. The space-time field

Joseph F. Bird and Robert W. Massof
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 68(11) 1471-1481 (1978)