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Visual Search and Detection in Natural Scenes

Award Number: R01EY024662
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2015
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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Visual Search and Detection in Natural Scenes - Project Summary/Abstract The broad aim is to understand the mechanisms that underlie the ability of human and non-human primates to locate and identify target objects under natural conditions, a ubiquitous and fundamental visual task. Localization and identification of objects under natural conditions is difficult because there are so many dimensions of uncertainty (variability) in natural tasks: highly-variable properties of the background scenes in which the target object may be embedded, uncertainty about possible 2D (or 3D) location of the target object in the scene, uncertainty about the 2D (or 3D) orientation of the target object, and uncertainty about the contrast of the target object. These natural dimensions of uncertainty drove the design of the visual system (though evolution and learning). Thus, the theoretical and experimental analysis of the effects of uncertainty is critical for understanding the neural computations performed by the visual system, as well as the underlying neural circuits. In preliminary studies, we made substantial progress in developing the theory of identification and localization under natural conditions, in developing relevant computational and neurophysiological tools, in making relevant behavioral measurements in humans, and in making relevant physiological measurements in behaving monkeys. The first aim will be directed at rigorously testing a number of hypotheses about how various dimensions of target and background uncertainty singly, and in combination, affect behavior and neural computation. The second aim will be directed at measuring and modeling an important factor (partial masking) that affects detection and identification performance in natural backgrounds, but has never been systematically investigated in either simple or natural backgrounds. The third aim builds on the first two aims and will be directed a developing and testing a new theory of overt and covert visual search that takes into account natural scene statistics, variation in ganglion cell sampling and RF size with retinal location, and variation in intrinsic position uncertainty with retinal location. The theory encompasses many specific models that each makes detailed quantitative and qualitative predictions for arbitrary specific search stimuli. Covert and overt search tasks in noise and natural backgrounds will be used to discriminate between models.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = -$7,144 )
2026	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	7	11/24/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$7,144
														Subtotal = -$7,144

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	7	6/13/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $454,906 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	7	7/18/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$454,906
														Subtotal = $454,906

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $455,057 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	002	6	8/26/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$455,057
2021	2020	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	5	4/2/2021	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2021	2018	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	001	4	6/27/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $455,057

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $421,390 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	5	9/15/2020	COMPETING CONTINUATION	$421,390
														Subtotal = $421,390

Issue Date FY: 2018 ( Subtotal = $385,659 )
2018	2018	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR, MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	4	8/24/2018	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,659
														Subtotal = $385,659

Issue Date FY: 2017 ( Subtotal = $385,659 )
2017	2017	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	110 INNER CAMPUS DR, MN 13	AUSTIN	TX	78712	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	3	8/10/2017	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,659
														Subtotal = $385,659

Issue Date FY: 2016 ( Subtotal = $385,659 )
2016	2016	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	P.O. BOX 7159	AUSTIN	TX	78713	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	2	8/12/2016	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$385,659
														Subtotal = $385,659

Issue Date FY: 2015 ( Subtotal = $377,932 )
2015	2015	UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN	P.O. BOX 7159	AUSTIN	TX	78713	TRAVIS	USA	Vision Research	000	1	8/20/2015	NEW	$377,932
														Subtotal = $377,932

Grand Total All Awards = $2,859,118

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Visual Search and Detection in Natural Scenes

Award Number: R01EY024662

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/01/2015

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2025

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