Cite as:
Petkov N, Kruizinga P, 2000, "Perception of form and texture through complementary bar and grating cell channels" Perception 29 ECVP Abstract Supplement

Perception of form and texture through complementary bar and grating cell channels

N Petkov, P Kruizinga

A line that is a part of a grating of parallel equidistant lines is more difficult to perceive as a part of a contour of an object than an isolated line. The effect cannot be explained by the function of simple cells which give a stronger response to the former type of stimulus than to the latter one.

Elsewhere we proposed computational models of grating and bar cells which are selective for gratings of bars and and isolated bars, respectively. While the behaviour of grating cells has been studied in considerable detail, evidence of the existence of bar cells is only occasional. In this paper we elaborate on the role of grating and bar cells in the visual system. We propose a model in which visual information about lines, as coming from simple cells, is split into two complementary and mutually exclusive channels: the grating-cell channel and the bar-cell channel. The former is responsible for the processing of oriented texture, the latter for (isolated) contours of objects. The results derived from the model are in agreement with the psychophysical observation that the perception of texture and form are complementary processes.