Vision ResearchPub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108710
Sjoerd Bruin, Jiří Kosinka, Cara Tursun
{"title":"NEST: Neural estimation by sequential testing","authors":"Sjoerd Bruin, Jiří Kosinka, Cara Tursun","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Adaptive psychophysical procedures aim to increase the efficiency and reliability of measurements. With increasing stimulus and experiment complexity in the last decade, estimating multi-dimensional psychometric functions has become a challenging task for adaptive procedures. If the experimenter has limited information about the underlying psychometric function, it is not possible to use parametric techniques developed for the multi-dimensional stimulus space. Although there are non-parametric approaches that use Gaussian process methods and specific hand-crafted acquisition functions, their performance is sensitive to proper selection of the kernel function, which is not always straightforward. In this work, we use a neural network as the psychometric function estimator and introduce a novel acquisition function for stimulus selection. We thoroughly benchmark our technique both using simulations and by conducting psychovisual experiments under realistic conditions. We show that our method outperforms the state of the art without the need to select a kernel function and significantly reduces the experiment duration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 108710"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145313884","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-11-09DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108715
Junna Matsumoto , Aiko Morita , Arnold J. Wilkins , Sanae Yoshimoto
{"title":"Effect of cone-opponent modulation on visual discomfort from chromatic flicker","authors":"Junna Matsumoto , Aiko Morita , Arnold J. Wilkins , Sanae Yoshimoto","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Visual patterns with large shifts in chromaticity can be perceived as uncomfortable and may even trigger photosensitive epilepsy. In the temporal domain, not only does large chromatic contrast tend to increase discomfort, but red flicker also appears to evoke strong aversion. The mechanisms underlying this red-specific discomfort, however, remain unclear. To address this issue, the present study measured discomfort ratings for two-color alternating stimuli defined in the MB-DKL cone-opponent space, in which the magnitudes of modulation along the L/(L + M) and S/(L + M) axes were systematically manipulated. We found that modulation along the L/(L + M) axis showed a positive correlation with discomfort ratings, whereas modulation along the S/(L + M) axis also predicted discomfort but with a comparatively weaker effect. We also replicated previous findings that greater temporal chromatic contrast, quantified in a uniform color space, was associated with increased discomfort. Importantly, the relationship between L/(L + M) modulation and discomfort remained robust even when chromatic contrast was controlled. These results suggest that visual discomfort from temporal chromatic variation involves multiple stages of color processing. Specifically, the aversion to red flicker may originate at early stages of cone-opponent processing, prior to the formation of categorical red perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 108715"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145490482","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2026-01-01Epub Date: 2025-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108711
Amy Siobhan Millard , Irene Sperandio , Philippe A. Chouinard
{"title":"Real objects maintain superior size-distance scaling to afterimages under sudden and adapted darkness conditions","authors":"Amy Siobhan Millard , Irene Sperandio , Philippe A. Chouinard","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108711","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108711","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human vision must adapt to varying lighting conditions, particularly in low-light environments where depth perception and size constancy are challenged. This study examined size-distance scaling for real objects and afterimages under sudden and adapted darkness conditions. Real objects exhibited more stable scaling than afterimages, closely aligning with Emmert’s law, while afterimages showed substantial deviations. Although dark adaptation modestly improved size-distance scaling for both stimulus types, it did not fully restore veridical perception. Contrary to expectations, afterimages did not benefit more from adaptation than real objects, suggesting that their reliance on external depth cues exceeds what mesopic adaptation alone can compensate for. Additionally, perceived brightness influenced distance misperceptions, with brighter stimuli associated with greater errors—particularly for real objects. These findings highlight the limitations of internally generated stimuli in maintaining perceptual stability in darkness and emphasise the critical role of environmental and stimulus-based depth cues in supporting size constancy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 108711"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145365023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108696
Preeti Verghese , Adrien Chopin , Ângela Gomes-Tomaz , Noelia G. Alcalde , Dennis M. Levi
{"title":"Vergence anomalies are associated with impaired stereopsis in amblyopia","authors":"Preeti Verghese , Adrien Chopin , Ângela Gomes-Tomaz , Noelia G. Alcalde , Dennis M. Levi","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108696","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108696","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We examined the relationship between stereopsis and fusional vergence in groups of amblyopic and stereo-normal control observers. As absolute disparity is thought to be the basis for relative disparity and for disparity-driven vergence, we hypothesized that vergence anomalies would be accompanied by impaired stereopsis. Specifically, we examined whether patterns of impaired stereopsis across the central 20° of the visual field were accompanied by impaired fusional vergence for stimuli confined to these regions. Stereopsis was measured locally across the visual field with disparity steps of 5 to 20 arcmin. Fusional vergence to large disparity steps (2 to 3°) was measured with binocular eye tracking. The vergence stimuli were random dot stereograms, in one of 3 spatial configurations: a large disc 16° in diameter, a small disc 4° in diameter, and an annulus with outer and inner diameters corresponding to the large and small discs. Of the controls (n = 25) with no history of abnormal visual development, 12 individuals exhibited normal stereopsis across the visual field and normal vergence gains for all configurations. Thirteen individuals with weak stereopsis in the central field tended to have anomalous vergence for small stimuli, but normal vergence for larger stimuli. Amblyopic/strabismic individuals (n = 12) had poor stereopsis and poor vergence for small stimuli. We report a strong correlation between vergence, coarse and fine stereopsis, with no double dissociation (no cases of impaired vergence with normal stereopsis). Taken together, the results suggest that compromised binocular interaction is the cause of both stereopsis and vergence deficits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108696"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145150938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Development of foveal crowding in typically developing children and children with developmental dyslexia","authors":"Yan-Ru Chen , Xiao-He Yu , Jun-Yun Zhang , Jiu-Ju Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108681","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108681","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Foveal crowding refers to the impaired recognition of a foveal stimulus due to the presence of adjacent flankers. Previous research has produced inconsistent results regarding the maturation of foveal crowding, either at ages 5–7 or remaining elevated from ages 5 to at least 11. We investigated this developmental trajectory using a specialized set of digit stimuli (Pelli fonts) tailored for measuring foveal crowding. We measured foveal crowding in preschoolers, school-age typically developing children, and school-age children with developmental dyslexia, as well as in a group of adults. The results show that foveal crowding decreases with age, reaching adult-like levels around 8 years among preschoolers and typically developing children. Furthermore, dyslexic children exhibited heightened foveal crowding compared to their typical peers by approximately the same amount, regardless of age and reading level. Notably, preschoolers exhibited the most pronounced foveal crowding effects with considerable individual variability: some displayed crowding similar to that of older typical children and adults, while others exhibited similar or even higher levels of crowding compared to dyslexic children. This large variability suggests that foveal crowding may have the potential to serve as an early indicator for identifying developmental dyslexia, a possibility that warrants further longitudinal investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108681"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144933176","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-09DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108684
Dorsa Mir Norouzi , Norah M. Nyangau , Yi-Zhong Wang , Lori M. Dao , Cynthia L. Beauchamp , David R. Stager Jr , Jeffrey S. Hunter , Krista R. Kelly
{"title":"Slow binocular reading during rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) in children with amblyopia and the role of fixation instability","authors":"Dorsa Mir Norouzi , Norah M. Nyangau , Yi-Zhong Wang , Lori M. Dao , Cynthia L. Beauchamp , David R. Stager Jr , Jeffrey S. Hunter , Krista R. Kelly","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108684","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108684","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Children with amblyopia read slower than their peers during binocular viewing. Ocular motor dysfunction typical of amblyopia may cause slow reading. It is unclear whether this is due to fixation instability or increased forward saccades. We examined whether removing the requirement of inter-word saccades helps children with amblyopia read at a similar rate as controls using a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. We also assessed whether reading rate was related to fixation instability. Children with amblyopia (n = 32) and control (n = 30) children ages 8–12 years silently read sentences presented in RSVP (single word presentation at screen center) during binocular viewing. Exposure time per sentence changed with a 2 − down 1 − up staircase to obtain reading speed thresholds (log words/minute [WPM]). Eye movements were tracked to determine fellow eye (FE) and amblyopic eye (AE) fixation stability during RSVP reading. Children with amblyopia read slower than controls (2.75 ± 0.47 log WPM vs 3.06 ± 0.40 log WPM), and had increased AE fixation instability (0.21 ± 0.39 log deg<sup>2</sup> vs − 0.20 ± 0.18 log deg<sup>2</sup>) and increased FE fixation instability (−0.03 ± 0.34 log deg<sup>2</sup> vs − 0.20 ± 0.15 log deg<sup>2</sup>) during RSVP reading. Reading rate in amblyopic children with good FE stability (n = 11) did not differ from controls and was faster than those with poor FE stability (n = 21). Children with poor FE stability read slower than controls. Removing the need for inter-word saccades (i.e., RSVP reading) did not help children with amblyopia read at control speeds. Our data support FE fixation instability as a source of slow reading in amblyopia.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108684"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145020161","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-18DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108697
Yu Chen, Hongwei Lin, Jiacong Yan
{"title":"The Gestalt computational model by persistent homology","authors":"Yu Chen, Hongwei Lin, Jiacong Yan","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108697","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108697","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As a classic theory in cognitive psychology, Gestalt theory elucidates basic principles in visual perception. However, the Gestalt principles are validated mainly by psychological experiments, lacking quantitative research supports and theoretical coherence. In this paper, we utilize persistent homology, a mathematical tool in computational topology, to develop a unified computational model for Gestalt principles, addressing the challenges of quantification and computation. This Gestalt computational model provides a quantitative approach to several key Gestalt principles, and it shows that these Gestalt principles can be uniformly calculated using persistent homology, thus developing a coherent theory for Gestalt principles in computation. Moreover, it is anticipated that the Gestalt computational model can serve as a significant computational model in the field of computational psychology, and help the understanding of human visual perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108697"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145092625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-08-30DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108682
Zirui Gu, Christian N.L. Olivers, Mieke Donk
{"title":"Distinguishing a central selection bias from a central fixation bias: The role of retinal eccentricity in visual selection","authors":"Zirui Gu, Christian N.L. Olivers, Mieke Donk","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108682","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108682","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Earlier work has shown that the eyes preferably select stimuli that are presented close to central fixation over stimuli presented further away, suggesting the existence of a central selection bias. However, so far studies have confounded retinal eccentricity with distance from the center of a display, and the observed effects may thus have been driven by what is known as the central fixation bias, which is the preference for items near the center of a display rather than the center of the retina. This study aimed to dissociate the central selection bias from the central fixation bias, and to uncover its time course. In two experiments, participants were instructed to make a single eye movement to one of two simultaneously presented singletons. The singletons were always presented at the same distance from the center of the display (thus controlling for the central fixation bias) but their eccentricity relative to the initial fixation point was varied (thus allowing for a central selection bias to operate). When the two singletons were displayed at different eccentricities, participants preferred selecting the nearest item. This central selection bias occurred rapidly and transiently, peaking around 230 ms and lasting until approximately 320 ms after display onset. Together, these results suggest that retinal eccentricity is a major factor when multiple objects compete for selection.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108682"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144916853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contextual feedback in object recognition: A biologically inspired computational model and human behavioral study","authors":"Elahe Soltandoost , Karim Rajaei , Reza Ebrahimpour","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108679","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108679","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Scene context is known to significantly influence visual perception, enhancing object recognition particularly under challenging viewing conditions. Behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggest that high-level scene information modulates activity in object-selective brain areas through top-down mechanisms, yet the underlying mechanism of this process remains unclear. Here, we introduce a biologically inspired context-based computational model (CBM) that integrates scene context into object recognition via an explicit feedback mechanism. CBM consists of two distinct pathways: Object_CNN, which processes localized object features, and Place_CNN, which extracts global scene information to modulate object processing. We compare CBM to a standard feedforward model, AlexNet, in a multiclass object recognition task under varying levels of visual degradation and occlusion. CBM significantly outperformed a standard feedforward model (AlexNet), demonstrating the effectiveness of structured contextual feedback in resolving ambiguous or degraded visual input. However, behavioral experiments revealed that while humans also benefited from congruent context — particularly at high occlusion levels — the effect was modest. Human recognition remained relatively robust even without contextual support, suggesting that mechanisms such as global shape processing and pattern completion, likely mediated by local recurrent processes, play a dominant role in resolving occluded input. These findings highlight the potential of contextual feedback for enhancing model performance, while also underscoring key differences between human and models. Our results point toward the need for models that combine context-sensitive feedback with object-intrinsic local recurrent processes to more closely approximate the flexible and resilient strategies of human perception.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108679"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144920316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Vision ResearchPub Date : 2025-12-01Epub Date: 2025-09-20DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2025.108699
A. Eusebio López-Hernández , Carmen Miquel-López , José Javier García-Medina , Diego García-Ayuso
{"title":"Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is associated with near heterophoria and accommodative dysfunction","authors":"A. Eusebio López-Hernández , Carmen Miquel-López , José Javier García-Medina , Diego García-Ayuso","doi":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108699","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.visres.2025.108699","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental condition in young populations and is often associated with visual disturbances. This study investigated clinical measurements in individuals with ADHD and compared them with individuals without ADHD. This study included 80 participants: 40 with ADHD and 40 age- and sex-matched controls. The mean age ± standard deviation was 19.93 ± 6.42 (range 6–36). The optometric tests performed assessed accommodative and binocular visual functions, including accommodative amplitude, monocular and binocular accommodative facility, Cover Test, near point of convergence, monocular estimated method, and calculated accommodation convergence/accommodation ratio. Subgroup analysis within the ADHD group, based on sex and medication use, explored the associations with optometric findings. The ADHD group showed a significantly higher lag of accommodation (+0.30 ± 0.17 D) than the control group (+0.18 ± 0.23 D) and a higher accommodative amplitude (ADHD group = 13.15 ± 1.73, control group = 12.07 ± 1.60). ADHD was also associated with a higher prevalence of near-heterophoria. No differences were observed between medicated and medication-free at testing individuals with ADHD. Furthermore, males demonstrated higher near heterophoria than females, with males having significantly more phorias at near. The results of this paper demonstrate that individuals with ADHD commonly experience compromised accommodative responses and a heightened occurrence of heterophoria compared with individuals without ADHD. These results emphasize the importance of eye exams for ADHD patients, as vision issues may reduce attention and concentration, especially for near-work tasks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23670,"journal":{"name":"Vision Research","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 108699"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2025-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145096141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}