Lateral interactions: size does matter

Usually a high-contrast, co-local mask increases contrast threshold (inhibition). Interestingly, a laterally displaced mask (flanker) can facilitate contrast detection (Vision Research 33 (1993) 993; 34 (1994) 73). When spatial scaling of these flanker effects was implied, stimulus bandwidth was confounded with spatial frequency (lambda(-1)). Under conditions where at lower spatial frequencies, the size (standard deviation, sigma) of the Gabor patch was smaller (sigma<lambda) than higher spatial frequencies (sigma=lambda), the effect appeared scale invariant. We replicated the original results for all conditions. However, when Gabor size was fixed (sigma=lambda), facilitation changed with spatial frequency (range 2--13 cycles/deg). When Gabor size was varied (sigma=0.5-2 lambda), usually the combination of larger patch sizes and lower spatial frequencies caused inhibition. We were unable to find any conditions that demonstrated spatial scaling. The size, both lambda and sigma, of both stimulus and flankers, influenced contrast threshold. Also, facilitation reduced as contrast of the flankers was reduced to detection threshold. Some facilitation was apparent with sub-threshold flankers. These results need to be reconciled with current models of lateral interactions.