Tilt dependency of slant aftereffect

Slant aftereffect (SAE), the negative aftereffect of slant induced after prolonged observation of a surface, is considered as evidence that slant is encoded in the visual system. Because slant and tilt are mathematically independent dimensions, Stevens (Stevens, K. A. (1983a). Biological Cybernetics, 46, 183-195) assumed that slant and tilt are processed independently in the visual system. To confirm this assumption, we investigated whether SAE is induced independently of the difference in tilt between the adapting and test stimuli. The stimuli were displayed by simulating the motion disparity of rotating disks. After adaptation to a surface of 60 degrees slant, the subjective 0 degree slants of the test stimulus were measured with the tilt differences of 0, 45, 90, 135 and 180 degrees. The magnitude of SAE was greatest when the tilt difference was zero, and decreased with increasing tilt difference. The results suggest that slant and tilt are not processed independently in the visual system and that the slant detector in the visual system is sensitive not only to slant but also to tilt.