Prediction of Dashed Caf\'e Wall illusion by the Classical Receptive Field Model

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that a simple Differences of Gaussian model based on classical receptive fields can explain the perceived tilt in Cafe9 Wall illusions, including dashed variants, by modeling low-level visual mechanisms and lateral inhibition.

Contribution

It introduces a CRF-based model that explains the Cafe9 Wall illusion and its dashed variants through low-level visual processing and lateral inhibition, challenging the idea that complex cortical cells are solely responsible.

Findings

The model successfully predicts the tilt perception in Cafe9 Wall illusions.

The explanation links tilt perception to simple cell responses and lateral inhibition.

The approach generalizes to dashed versions of the illusion.

Abstract

The Caf\'e Wall illusion is one of a class of tilt illusions where lines that are parallel appear to be tilted. We demonstrate that a simple Differences of Gaussian model provides an explanatory mechanism for the illusory tilt perceived in a family of Caf\'e Wall illusion generalizes to the dashed versions of Caf\'e Wall. Our explanation models the visual mechanisms in low level stages and the lateral inhibition of simple cells that can reveal tilt cues in Geometrical distortion illusions such as Tile illusions particularly Caf\'e Wall illusions. For this, we simulate the activations of the retinal/cortical simple cells in responses to these patterns based on a Classical Receptive Field (CRF) model (referred to as Vis-CRF) to explain tilt effects in these illusions. Previously, it was assumed that all these visual experiences of tilt arise from the orientation selectivity properties described for more complex cortical cells. An estimation of an overall tilt angle perceived in these illusions is based on the integration of the local tilts detected by simple cells which is presumed to be a key mechanism utilized by the complex cells to create our final perception of tilt.