Accuracy of identification of grating contrast by human observers: Bayesian models of V1 contrast processing show correspondence between discrimination and identification performance

This paper presents the results of a contrast identification study, where accuracy in identification is quantified as mutual information between stimulus contrast and observer’s response. The stimulus was a set of 2–8 gratings, spanning the range of visible contrasts. Gratings from the set were presented individually for 500 ms, and the observer had to respond by giving the number label corresponding to the contrast of the grating presented. Mutual information increased with set size up to a maximum of around 2.35 bits, i.e., only 5 clearly identifiable contrasts. Set sizes greater than 5 showed a plateau or decline in performance. These data were well fit by Bayesian models of V1 contrast coding, with the parameters obtained by fitting the contrast discrimination results of Chirimuuta and Tolhurst [Chirimuuta, M., & Tolhurst, D. J. (2005). Does a Bayesian model of V1 contrast coding offer a neurophysiological account of human contrast discrimination? Vision Research].