The Method of Constant Stimuli in Psychophysics

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Several psychophysical methods explain the connection between human perceptions and a physical stimulus and measure thresholds in a specific field, namely constant stimuli, limits, and adjustment. Each approach has definite goals, depending on participants, variables, and available resources. Brown et al. (2018) developed their research about the importance of clinical measurements of contrast sensitivity and visual acuity in newborn infants, applying the method of contrast stimuli (MCS). In the majority of studies, MCS is used along with other methods to compare the results, analyze their similarities and differences, and recognize which performance has better characteristics. In the chosen article, the authors employed MCS and the descending method of limits (dLIM) to investigate neonatal sensitivity and vision.

The contrast sensitivity function is a vital ability of the eyes to differentiate the background and the foreground without clear outlines. In children with visual problems, it is hard to define the stimulus size, which creates a solid basis for the current study. The researchers aim at understanding if a 0.083 cycles per degree square-wave stimulus is an appropriate option to measure children’s contrast sensitivity (Brown et al., 2018). Thresholds were extracted from the participants’ data using logistic regression. A pilot experiment included MCS to identify stimulus values’ range and spacing (Brown et al., 2018). The Newborn Contrast Cards were developed to indicate a low spatial frequency square-way, and the Newborn Acuity Cards introduced square-wave grating with the highest spatial frequency. Three trial sets of these cards were chosen for 39 contrast sensitivity tests and 46 visual acuity tests among 60 children (Brown et al., 2018). The main experiment was based on dLIM to measure the same variables as it is commonly appropriate for clinical settings and characterized by higher completion rates compared to other psychophysical methods. Three cards (visual activity, contrast, and spatial frequency) were offered to participants.

The results proved a better performance of MCS compared to dLIM in some cases and a similar performance level if the contingent presentation is considered. MCS proved that a child could see one easy card with the Michelson contrast threshold of 0.330 (Brown et al., 2018). dLIM, in its turn, showed that infants might see one stimulus, with the Michelson contrast threshold of 0.083 (Brown et al., 2018). The band-pass (0.23 cy/deg single-peaked) contrast sensitivity function was explained as the best choice.

In the article, the differences between the methods explain the changes in the visual acuity of newborn infants. Although MCS demonstrated a better performance than dLIM, an adequate square-wave spatial frequency is 0.083, which came from the latter experiment. The authors defined no strong or weak aspects in their study but relied on their findings to support the researchers and participants in other clinical settings. Both psychophysical methods contribute to a better understanding of how to measure vision sensitivity in children.

In general, the idea to determine newborn contrast sensitivity is not new in the field of psychophysics. Researchers pursue different purposes when they decide to use MCS, dLIM, or any other method. However, regardless of the quality of the two experiments and the chosen thresholds, this article certainly creates new conditions for clinical behavioral studies. Visual acuity and contrast sensitivity play an important role in understanding the physiological and psychological development of a person in the neonatal period.

Reference

Brown, A. M., Opoku, F. O., & Stenger, M. R. (2018). . Translational Vision Science & Technology, 7(3).

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