Dissociable prior influences of signal probability and relevance on visual contrast sensitivity
Open accessAbstract
According to signal detection theoretical analyses, visual signals occurring at a cued location are detected more accurately, whereas frequently occurring ones are reported more often but are not better distinguished from noise. However, conventional analyses that estimate sensitivity and bias by comparing true- and false-positive rates offer limited insights into the mechanisms responsible for these effects. Here, we reassessed the prior influences of signal probability and relevance on visual contrast detection using a reverse-correlation technique that quantifies how signal-like fluctuations in noise predict trial-to-trial variability in choice discarded by conventional analyses. This approach allowed us to estimate separately the sensitivity of true and false positives to parametric changes in signal energy. We found that signal probability and relevance both increased energy sensitivity, but in dissociable ways. Cues predicting the relevant location increased primarily the sensitivity of true positives by suppressing internal noise during signal processing, whereas cues predicting greater signal probability increased both the frequency and the sensitivity of false positives by biasing the baseline activity of signal-selective units. We interpret these findings in light of “predictive-coding” models of perception, which propose separable top-down influences of expectation (probability driven) and attention (relevance driven) on bottom-up sensory processing.
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In detection and coarse discrimination tasks, Lau, Rahnev, and colleagues report that subjects overestimate their confidence in the periphery and for unattended stimuli.
“In detection and coarse discrimination tasks, Lau, Rahnev, and colleagues report that subjects overestimate their confidence in the periphery and for unattended stimuli.”
From Comparing Bayesian and non-Bayesian accounts of human confidence reports (2018) · cites this paper as [62]
The Conventional Signal Detection Analyses section reports detection sensitivity and false-alarm rates for relevant and irrelevant stimuli, not subjects’ confidence judgments. Searches for Lau, Rahnev, peripheral vision, and confidence overestimation found no passage in our copy addressing the attributed finding; page numbers were unavailable. (LLM, conf=0.76)
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- Authors
- Wyart, V., Nobre, A. C., & Summerfield, C.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Warneford Hospital (GB)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2012-02-13
- Volume
- 109
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 3593-3598
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC3295248
- OpenAlex
- W2088247269
- Cited by
- 268
- References
- 49
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 44 · 2022: 23 · 2021: 18 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 21 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 13 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 7.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Update notices
- correction (2012-03-27)
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Fondation Fyssen
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- contrast sensitivity, signal probability, spatial cueing, predictive coding, false positives, top-down expectations, attention, reverse correlation, trial-to-trial variability, signal detection theory
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Attention, Cues, False Positive Reactions, Female, Humans, Male, Models, Psychological, Photic Stimulation, Probability, Contrast Sensitivity, Signal Detection, Psychological, Young Adult
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