Insect perception of illusory contours
Date
1992-07-29
Authors
Horridge, George Adrian
Zhang, S. W.
O'Carroll, D.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Royal Society
Abstract
The human visual system sees an illusory contour where there is a fault line across a regular striped
pattern. We demonstrate that bees respond as if they see the same illusory contour. There is also a type of
neuron in the lobula of the dragonfly optic lobe which responds directionally to motion of the illusory
contour as if to an edge or line. Apparently insects have a mechanism that sees illusory contours and
therefore assists in the demarcation of edges and objects at places where local contrast falls to zero at an
edge, or where one textured object partially obscures another. These results suggest that insect vision,
although spatially crude and low in processing power, sees separate objects by similar mechanisms to our
own.
Description
Keywords
Neurons, Stripes, Shape perception, Contour lines, Visual system, Bees, Rectangles, Training, Sensory discrimination, Visual perception
Citation
Collections
Source
Philosophical Transactions B: Biological Sciences
Type
Journal article
Book Title
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DOI
Restricted until
2037-12-31