How vernier acuity depends on contrast

Abstract

Vernier acuity was measured by finding the just discriminable offset for an edge separating fields of different luminances. The contrast of this stimulus is easily specified by the formula c = (L _stim — L _sur )(L _stim + L _sur ). Vernier thresholds are about 4–5 sec of arc for contrasts 0.22 and higher, but increase exponentially with decreasing contrast (Fig. 1). By comparison, the presence of the stimulus could be detected at a contrast of 0.016. The possible role of the magnocellular and parvocellular pathways in carrying the input signals to the fine localization process is discussed.