Abstract
Although Fechner (1860/1912) asserted that the gain of a sensory system should determine its ability to resolve different stimulus magnitudes, most researchers have found that gain and resolving power are not consistently related. The present study assessed gain (measured by magnitude estimation) and increment threshold (measured by a forced-choice procedure) in the same observers under the same viewing conditions. It was found that gain and increment threshold were not inversely related, as proposed by Fechner. However, relative variability in apparent contrast (standard error/magnitude estimate) was correlated with relative increment threshold (increment thresholdlbackground contrast). This correlation was even higher following pattern adaptation. These findings imply that resolving power for contrast is determined by variability in the system’s response to contrast rather than by its gain. Because this relationship is strengthened by adaptation, adaptation may reduce the contribution of other factors that add noise to the unadapted visual system.
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Baro, J.A., Lehmkuhle, S. & Applegate, R.A. Contrast-increment thresholds are related to variability in the apparent contrast function. Perception & Psychophysics 44, 463–472 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210432
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210432