Felix A. Wichmann

Senior Research Scientist

Empirical Inference

Office:
Max-Planck-Ring 4
72076 Tübingen
Germany

+49 7071 29 70421

Overview
Publications

Felix Wichmann is Professor for Neural Information Processing at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen and an adjunct senior research scientist at the MPI-IS. For details about his research go to the WWW-pages of the Wichmann-Lab at the Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen.

Felix Wichmann's work explores synergies between machine learning and psychophysics. He investigates perceptual processes from the level of simple artificial stimuli up to complex object and scene perception, combining psychophysical experiments and computational modeling driven by methods of machine learning and inference. Currently he has three main research foci: First, to uncover the critical features observers use in complex perceptual tasks. Second, to develop a computationally efficient model of early spatial vision. Finally we have begun to investigate the visual perception of causality, particularly whether human observers are sensitive to "the arrow of time."

125 results (View BibTeX file of all listed publications)

2019

Neural Signatures of Motor Skill in the Resting Brain

Ozdenizci, O., Meyer, T., Wichmann, F., Peters, J., Schölkopf, B., Cetin, M., Grosse-Wentrup, M.

Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC 2019), October 2019 (conference) Accepted

[BibTex]

2019

ei Ozdenizci, O., Meyer, T., Wichmann, F., Peters, J., Schölkopf, B., Cetin, M., Grosse-Wentrup, M. Neural Signatures of Motor Skill in the Resting Brain Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC 2019), October 2019 (conference) Accepted

[BibTex]

2018

Generalisation in humans and deep neural networks

Geirhos, R., Temme, C. R. M., Rauber, J., Schütt, H., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A.

Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 31, pages: 7549-7561, (Editors: S. Bengio and H. Wallach and H. Larochelle and K. Grauman and N. Cesa-Bianchi and R. Garnett), Curran Associates, Inc., 32th Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, December 2018 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

2018

ei Geirhos, R., Temme, C. R. M., Rauber, J., Schütt, H., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A. Generalisation in humans and deep neural networks Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 31, pages: 7549-7561, (Editors: S. Bengio and H. Wallach and H. Larochelle and K. Grauman and N. Cesa-Bianchi and R. Garnett), Curran Associates, Inc., 32th Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, December 2018 (conference)

link (url) [BibTex]

Methods in Psychophysics

Wichmann, F. A., Jäkel, F.

In Stevens’ Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, 5 (Methodology), 7, 4th, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018 (inbook)

[BibTex]

ei Wichmann, F. A., Jäkel, F. Methods in Psychophysics In Stevens’ Handbook of Experimental Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience, 5 (Methodology), 7, 4th, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018 (inbook)

[BibTex]

Retinal image quality of the human eye across the visual field

Meding, K., Hirsch, M., Wichmann, F. A.

14th Biannual Conference of the German Society for Cognitive Science (KOGWIS 2018), 2018 (poster)

[BibTex]

ei Meding, K., Hirsch, M., Wichmann, F. A. Retinal image quality of the human eye across the visual field 14th Biannual Conference of the German Society for Cognitive Science (KOGWIS 2018), 2018 (poster)

[BibTex]

2017

Temporal evolution of the central fixation bias in scene viewing

Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R.

Journal of Vision, 17(13):3, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

2017

ei Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R. Temporal evolution of the central fixation bias in scene viewing Journal of Vision, 17(13):3, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Detecting distortions of peripherally presented letter stimuli under crowded conditions

Wallis, T. S. A., Tobias, S., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A.

Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 79(3):850-862, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Wallis, T. S. A., Tobias, S., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A. Detecting distortions of peripherally presented letter stimuli under crowded conditions Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 79(3):850-862, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

A parametric texture model based on deep convolutional features closely matches texture appearance for humans

Wallis, T. S. A., Funke, C. M., Ecker, A. S., Gatys, L. A., Wichmann, F. A., Bethge, M.

Journal of Vision, 17(12), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Wallis, T. S. A., Funke, C. M., Ecker, A. S., Gatys, L. A., Wichmann, F. A., Bethge, M. A parametric texture model based on deep convolutional features closely matches texture appearance for humans Journal of Vision, 17(12), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Comparing sensitivity estimates from MLDS and forced-choice methods in a slant-from-texture experiment

Aguilar, G., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M.

Journal of Vision, 17(1), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Aguilar, G., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M. Comparing sensitivity estimates from MLDS and forced-choice methods in a slant-from-texture experiment Journal of Vision, 17(1), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

An image-computable psychophysical spatial vision model

Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A.

Journal of Vision, 17(12), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A. An image-computable psychophysical spatial vision model Journal of Vision, 17(12), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Methods and measurements to compare men against machines

Wichmann, F. A., Janssen, D. H. J., Geirhos, R., Aguilar, G., Schütt, H. H., Maertens, M., Bethge, M.

Electronic Imaging, pages: 36-45(10), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Wichmann, F. A., Janssen, D. H. J., Geirhos, R., Aguilar, G., Schütt, H. H., Maertens, M., Bethge, M. Methods and measurements to compare men against machines Electronic Imaging, pages: 36-45(10), 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Likelihood-based parameter estimation and comparison of dynamical cognitive models

Schütt, H. H., Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Reich, S., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R.

Psychological Review, 124(4):505-524, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Schütt, H. H., Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Reich, S., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R. Likelihood-based parameter estimation and comparison of dynamical cognitive models Psychological Review, 124(4):505-524, 2017 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

2016

Influence of initial fixation position in scene viewing

Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R.

Vision Research, 129, pages: 33-49, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2016

ei Rothkegel, L. O. M., Trukenbrod, H. A., Schütt, H. H., Wichmann, F. A., Engbert, R. Influence of initial fixation position in scene viewing Vision Research, 129, pages: 33-49, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

Testing models of peripheral encoding using metamerism in an oddity paradigm

Wallis, T. S. A., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A.

Journal of Vision, 16(2), 2016 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Wallis, T. S. A., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F. A. Testing models of peripheral encoding using metamerism in an oddity paradigm Journal of Vision, 16(2), 2016 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

Painfree and accurate Bayesian estimation of psychometric functions for (potentially) overdispersed data

Schütt, H. H., Harmeling, S., Macke, J. H., Wichmann, F. A.

Vision Research, 122, pages: 105-123, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

ei Schütt, H. H., Harmeling, S., Macke, J. H., Wichmann, F. A. Painfree and accurate Bayesian estimation of psychometric functions for (potentially) overdispersed data Vision Research, 122, pages: 105-123, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

An overview of quantitative approaches in Gestalt perception

Jäkel, F., Singh, M., Wichmann, F. A., Herzog, M. H.

Vision Research, 126, pages: 3-8, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

ei Jäkel, F., Singh, M., Wichmann, F. A., Herzog, M. H. An overview of quantitative approaches in Gestalt perception Vision Research, 126, pages: 3-8, 2016 (article)

link (url) DOI [BibTex]

BOiS—Berlin Object in Scene Database: Controlled Photographic Images for Visual Search Experiments with Quantified Contextual Priors

Mohr, J., Seyfarth, J., Lueschow, A., Weber, J. E., Wichmann, F. A., Obermayer, K.

Frontiers in Psychology, 2016 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

ei Mohr, J., Seyfarth, J., Lueschow, A., Weber, J. E., Wichmann, F. A., Obermayer, K. BOiS—Berlin Object in Scene Database: Controlled Photographic Images for Visual Search Experiments with Quantified Contextual Priors Frontiers in Psychology, 2016 (article)

DOI [BibTex]

2015

Noise masking of White’s illusion exposes the weakness of current spatial filtering models of lightness perception

Betz, T., Shapley, R. M., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M.

Journal of Vision, 15(14):1-17, October 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2015

ei Betz, T., Shapley, R. M., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M. Noise masking of White’s illusion exposes the weakness of current spatial filtering models of lightness perception Journal of Vision, 15(14):1-17, October 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Testing the role of luminance edges in White’s illusion with contour adaptation

Betz, T., Shapley, R. M., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M.

Journal of Vision, 15(11):1-16, August 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Betz, T., Shapley, R. M., Wichmann, F. A., Maertens, M. Testing the role of luminance edges in White’s illusion with contour adaptation Journal of Vision, 15(11):1-16, August 2015 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Spatial statistics and attentional dynamics in scene viewing

Engbert, R., Trukenbrod, H., Barthelmé, S., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 15(1):1-17, 2015 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Engbert, R., Trukenbrod, H., Barthelmé, S., Wichmann, F. Spatial statistics and attentional dynamics in scene viewing Journal of Vision, 15(1):1-17, 2015 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Context affects lightness at the level of surfaces

Maertens, M., Wichmann, F., Shapley, R.

Journal of Vision, 15(1):1-15, 2015 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI [BibTex]

ei Maertens, M., Wichmann, F., Shapley, R. Context affects lightness at the level of surfaces Journal of Vision, 15(1):1-15, 2015 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI [BibTex]

2014

Quantifying the effect of intertrial dependence on perceptual decisions

Fründ, I., Wichmann, F., Macke, J.

Journal of Vision, 14(7):1-16, 2014 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2014

ei Fründ, I., Wichmann, F., Macke, J. Quantifying the effect of intertrial dependence on perceptual decisions Journal of Vision, 14(7):1-16, 2014 (article)

Web PDF link (url) DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2013

How Sensitive Is the Human Visual System to the Local Statistics of Natural Images?

Gerhard, H., Wichmann, F., Bethge, M.

PLoS Computational Biology, 9(1):e1002873, January 2013 (article)

Abstract

Several aspects of primate visual physiology have been identified as adaptations to local regularities of natural images. However, much less work has measured visual sensitivity to local natural image regularities. Most previous work focuses on global perception of large images and shows that observers are more sensitive to visual information when image properties resemble those of natural images. In this work we measure human sensitivity to local natural image regularities using stimuli generated by patch-based probabilistic natural image models that have been related to primate visual physiology. We find that human observers can learn to discriminate the statistical regularities of natural image patches from those represented by current natural image models after very few exposures and that discriminability depends on the degree of regularities captured by the model. The quick learning we observed suggests that the human visual system is biased for processing natural images, even at very fine spatial scales, and that it has a surprisingly large knowledge of the regularities in natural images, at least in comparison to the state-of-the-art statistical models of natural images.

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2013

ei Gerhard, H., Wichmann, F., Bethge, M. How Sensitive Is the Human Visual System to the Local Statistics of Natural Images? PLoS Computational Biology, 9(1):e1002873, January 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

A neural population model for visual pattern detection

Goris, R., Putzeys, T., Wagemans, J., Wichmann, F.

Psychological Review, 120(3):472–496, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Goris, R., Putzeys, T., Wagemans, J., Wichmann, F. A neural population model for visual pattern detection Psychological Review, 120(3):472–496, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

When luminance increment thresholds depend on apparent lightness

Maertens, M., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 13(6):1-11, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Maertens, M., Wichmann, F. When luminance increment thresholds depend on apparent lightness Journal of Vision, 13(6):1-11, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Modeling fixation locations using spatial point processes

Barthelmé, S., Trukenbrod, H., Engbert, R., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 13(12):1-34, 2013 (article)

Abstract

Whenever eye movements are measured, a central part of the analysis has to do with where subjects fixate and why they fixated where they fixated. To a first approximation, a set of fixations can be viewed as a set of points in space; this implies that fixations are spatial data and that the analysis of fixation locations can be beneficially thought of as a spatial statistics problem. We argue that thinking of fixation locations as arising from point processes is a very fruitful framework for eye-movement data, helping turn qualitative questions into quantitative ones. We provide a tutorial introduction to some of the main ideas of the field of spatial statistics, focusing especially on spatial Poisson processes. We show how point processes help relate image properties to fixation locations. In particular we show how point processes naturally express the idea that image features' predictability for fixations may vary from one image to another. We review other methods of analysis used in the literature, show how they relate to point process theory, and argue that thinking in terms of point processes substantially extends the range of analyses that can be performed and clarify their interpretation.

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Barthelmé, S., Trukenbrod, H., Engbert, R., Wichmann, F. Modeling fixation locations using spatial point processes Journal of Vision, 13(12):1-34, 2013 (article)

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Identification of stimulus cues in narrow-band tone-in-noise detection using sparse observer models

Schönfelder, V., Wichmann, F.

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(1):447-463, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Schönfelder, V., Wichmann, F. Identification of stimulus cues in narrow-band tone-in-noise detection using sparse observer models Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 134(1):447-463, 2013 (article)

DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2012

Sparse regularized regression identifies behaviorally-relevant stimulus features from psychophysical data

Schönfelder, V., Wichmann, F.

Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131(5):3953-3969, May 2012 (article)

Abstract

As a prerequisite to quantitative psychophysical models of sensory processing it is necessary to learn to what extent decisions in behavioral tasks depend on specific stimulus features, the perceptual cues. Based on relative linear combination weights, this study demonstrates how stimulus-response data can be analyzed in this regard relying on an L1-regularized multiple logistic regression, a modern statistical procedure developed in machine learning. This method prevents complex models from over-fitting to noisy data. In addition, it enforces “sparse” solutions, a computational approximation to the postulate that a good model should contain the minimal set of predictors necessary to explain the data. In simulations, behavioral data from a classical auditory tone-in-noise detection task were generated. The proposed method is shown to precisely identify observer cues from a large set of covarying, interdependent stimulus features—a setting where standard correlational and regression methods fail. The proposed method succeeds for a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios and for deterministic as well as probabilistic observers. Furthermore, the detailed decision rules of the simulated observers were reconstructed from the estimated linear model weights allowing predictions of responses on the basis of individual stimuli.

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2012

ei Schönfelder, V., Wichmann, F. Sparse regularized regression identifies behaviorally-relevant stimulus features from psychophysical data Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 131(5):3953-3969, May 2012 (article)

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

A New Perceptual Bias Reveals Suboptimal Population Decoding of Sensory Responses

Putzeys, T., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F., Wagemans, J., Goris, R.

PLoS Computational Biology, 8(4):1-13, April 2012 (article)

Abstract

Several studies have reported optimal population decoding of sensory responses in two-alternative visual discrimination tasks. Such decoding involves integrating noisy neural responses into a more reliable representation of the likelihood that the stimuli under consideration evoked the observed responses. Importantly, an ideal observer must be able to evaluate likelihood with high precision and only consider the likelihood of the two relevant stimuli involved in the discrimination task. We report a new perceptual bias suggesting that observers read out the likelihood representation with remarkably low precision when discriminating grating spatial frequencies. Using spectrally filtered noise, we induced an asymmetry in the likelihood function of spatial frequency. This manipulation mainly affects the likelihood of spatial frequencies that are irrelevant to the task at hand. Nevertheless, we find a significant shift in perceived grating frequency, indicating that observers evaluate likelihoods of a broad range of irrelevant frequencies and discard prior knowledge of stimulus alternatives when performing two-alternative discrimination.

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Putzeys, T., Bethge, M., Wichmann, F., Wagemans, J., Goris, R. A New Perceptual Bias Reveals Suboptimal Population Decoding of Sensory Responses PLoS Computational Biology, 8(4):1-13, April 2012 (article)

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2011

Inference for psychometric functions in the presence of nonstationary behavior

Fründ, I., Haenel, N., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 11(6):1-19, May 2011 (article)

Abstract

Measuring sensitivity is at the heart of psychophysics. Often, sensitivity is derived from estimates of the psychometric function. This function relates response probability to stimulus intensity. In estimating these response probabilities, most studies assume stationary observers: Responses are expected to be dependent only on the intensity of a presented stimulus and not on other factors such as stimulus sequence, duration of the experiment, or the responses on previous trials. Unfortunately, a number of factors such as learning, fatigue, or fluctuations in attention and motivation will typically result in violations of this assumption. The severity of these violations is yet unknown. We use Monte Carlo simulations to show that violations of these assumptions can result in underestimation of confidence intervals for parameters of the psychometric function. Even worse, collecting more trials does not eliminate this misestimation of confidence intervals. We present a simple adjustment of the confidence intervals that corrects for the underestimation almost independently of the number of trials and the particular type of violation.

Web DOI [BibTex]

2011

ei Fründ, I., Haenel, N., Wichmann, F. Inference for psychometric functions in the presence of nonstationary behavior Journal of Vision, 11(6):1-19, May 2011 (article)

Web DOI [BibTex]

Cue Combination: Beyond Optimality

Rosas, P., Wichmann, F.

In Sensory Cue Integration, pages: 144-152, (Editors: Trommershäuser, J., Körding, K. and Landy, M. S.), Oxford University Press, 2011 (inbook)

[BibTex]

ei Rosas, P., Wichmann, F. Cue Combination: Beyond Optimality In Sensory Cue Integration, pages: 144-152, (Editors: Trommershäuser, J., Körding, K. and Landy, M. S.), Oxford University Press, 2011 (inbook)

[BibTex]

2010

Estimating predictive stimulus features from psychophysical data: The decision image technique applied to human faces

Macke, J., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 10(5:22):1-24, May 2010 (article)

Abstract

One major challenge in the sensory sciences is to identify the stimulus features on which sensory systems base their computations, and which are predictive of a behavioral decision: they are a prerequisite for computational models of perception. We describe a technique (decision images) for extracting predictive stimulus features using logistic regression. A decision image not only defines a region of interest within a stimulus but is a quantitative template which defines a direction in stimulus space. Decision images thus enable the development of predictive models, as well as the generation of optimized stimuli for subsequent psychophysical investigations. Here we describe our method and apply it to data from a human face classification experiment. We show that decision images are able to predict human responses not only in terms of overall percent correct but also in terms of the probabilities with which individual faces are (mis-) classified by individual observers. We show that the most predictive dimension for gender categorization is neither aligned with the axis defined by the two class-means, nor with the first principal component of all faces-two hypotheses frequently entertained in the literature. Our method can be applied to a wide range of binary classification tasks in vision or other psychophysical contexts.

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2010

ei Macke, J., Wichmann, F. Estimating predictive stimulus features from psychophysical data: The decision image technique applied to human faces Journal of Vision, 10(5:22):1-24, May 2010 (article)

Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Animal detection in natural scenes: Critical features revisited

Wichmann, F., Drewes, J., Rosas, P., Gegenfurtner, K.

Journal of Vision, 10(4):1-27, April 2010 (article)

Abstract

S. J. Thorpe, D. Fize, and C. Marlot (1996) showed how rapidly observers can detect animals in images of natural scenes, but it is still unclear which image features support this rapid detection. A. B. Torralba and A. Oliva (2003) suggested that a simple image statistic based on the power spectrum allows the absence or presence of objects in natural scenes to be predicted. We tested whether human observers make use of power spectral differences between image categories when detecting animals in natural scenes. In Experiments 1 and 2 we found performance to be essentially independent of the power spectrum. Computational analysis revealed that the ease of classification correlates with the proposed spectral cue without being caused by it. This result is consistent with the hypothesis that in commercial stock photo databases a majority of animal images are pre-segmented from the background by the photographers and this pre-segmentation causes the power spectral differences between image categories and may, furthermore, help rapid animal detection. Data from a third experiment are consistent with this hypothesis. Together, our results make it exceedingly unlikely that human observers make use of power spectral differences between animal- and no-animal images during rapid animal detection. In addition, our results point to potential confounds in the commercially available “natural image” databases whose statistics may be less natural than commonly presumed.

Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Wichmann, F., Drewes, J., Rosas, P., Gegenfurtner, K. Animal detection in natural scenes: Critical features revisited Journal of Vision, 10(4):1-27, April 2010 (article)

Web DOI [BibTex]

2009

Does Cognitive Science Need Kernels?

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(9):381-388, September 2009 (article)

Abstract

Kernel methods are among the most successful tools in machine learning and are used in challenging data analysis problems in many disciplines. Here we provide examples where kernel methods have proven to be powerful tools for analyzing behavioral data, especially for identifying features in categorization experiments. We also demonstrate that kernel methods relate to perceptrons and exemplar models of categorization. Hence, we argue that kernel methods have neural and psychological plausibility, and theoretical results concerning their behavior are therefore potentially relevant for human category learning. In particular, we believe kernel methods have the potential to provide explanations ranging from the implementational via the algorithmic to the computational level.

PDF Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

2009

ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. Does Cognitive Science Need Kernels? Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 13(9):381-388, September 2009 (article)

PDF Web DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Estimating Critical Stimulus Features from Psychophysical Data: The Decision-Image Technique Applied to Human Faces

Macke, J., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 9(8):31, 9th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS), August 2009 (poster)

Abstract

One of the main challenges in the sensory sciences is to identify the stimulus features on which the sensory systems base their computations: they are a pre-requisite for computational models of perception. We describe a technique---decision-images--- for extracting critical stimulus features based on logistic regression. Rather than embedding the stimuli in noise, as is done in classification image analysis, we want to infer the important features directly from physically heterogeneous stimuli. A Decision-image not only defines the critical region-of-interest within a stimulus but is a quantitative template which defines a direction in stimulus space. Decision-images thus enable the development of predictive models, as well as the generation of optimized stimuli for subsequent psychophysical investigations. Here we describe our method and apply it to data from a human face discrimination experiment. We show that decision-images are able to predict human responses not only in terms of overall percent correct but are able to predict, for individual observers, the probabilities with which individual faces are (mis-) classified. We then test the predictions of the models using optimized stimuli. Finally, we discuss possible generalizations of the approach and its relationships with other models.

Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Macke, J., Wichmann, F. Estimating Critical Stimulus Features from Psychophysical Data: The Decision-Image Technique Applied to Human Faces Journal of Vision, 9(8):31, 9th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS), August 2009 (poster)

Web DOI [BibTex]

A neurophysiologically plausible population code model for human contrast discrimination

Goris, R., Wichmann, F., Henning, G.

Journal of Vision, 9(7):1-22, July 2009 (article)

Abstract

The pedestal effect is the improvement in the detectability of a sinusoidal grating in the presence of another grating of the same orientation, spatial frequency, and phase—usually called the pedestal. Recent evidence has demonstrated that the pedestal effect is differently modified by spectrally flat and notch-filtered noise: The pedestal effect is reduced in flat noise but virtually disappears in the presence of notched noise (G. B. Henning & F. A. Wichmann, 2007). Here we consider a network consisting of units whose contrast response functions resemble those of the cortical cells believed to underlie human pattern vision and demonstrate that, when the outputs of multiple units are combined by simple weighted summation—a heuristic decision rule that resembles optimal information combination and produces a contrast-dependent weighting profile—the network produces contrast-discrimination data consistent with psychophysical observations: The pedestal effect is present without noise, reduced in broadband noise, but almost disappears in notched noise. These findings follow naturally from the normalization model of simple cells in primary visual cortex, followed by response-based pooling, and suggest that in processing even low-contrast sinusoidal gratings, the visual system may combine information across neurons tuned to different spatial frequencies and orientations.

Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Goris, R., Wichmann, F., Henning, G. A neurophysiologically plausible population code model for human contrast discrimination Journal of Vision, 9(7):1-22, July 2009 (article)

Web DOI [BibTex]

Center-surround patterns emerge as optimal predictors for human saccade targets

Kienzle, W., Franz, M., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 9(5:7):1-15, May 2009 (article)

Abstract

The human visual system is foveated, that is, outside the central visual field resolution and acuity drop rapidly. Nonetheless much of a visual scene is perceived after only a few saccadic eye movements, suggesting an effective strategy for selecting saccade targets. It has been known for some time that local image structure at saccade targets influences the selection process. However, the question of what the most relevant visual features are is still under debate. Here we show that center-surround patterns emerge as the optimal solution for predicting saccade targets from their local image structure. The resulting model, a one-layer feed-forward network, is surprisingly simple compared to previously suggested models which assume much more complex computations such as multi-scale processing and multiple feature channels. Nevertheless, our model is equally predictive. Furthermore, our findings are consistent with neurophysiological hardware in the superior colliculus. Bottom-up visual saliency may thus not be computed cortically as has been thought previously.

PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

ei Kienzle, W., Franz, M., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. Center-surround patterns emerge as optimal predictors for human saccade targets Journal of Vision, 9(5:7):1-15, May 2009 (article)

PDF DOI Project Page [BibTex]

Non-linear System Identification: Visual Saliency Inferred from Eye-Movement Data

Wichmann, F., Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M.

Journal of Vision, 9(8):article 32, 2009 (article)

Abstract

For simple visual patterns under the experimenter's control we impose which information, or features, an observer can use to solve a given perceptual task. For natural vision tasks, however, there are typically a multitude of potential features in a given visual scene which the visual system may be exploiting when analyzing it: edges, corners, contours, etc. Here we describe a novel non-linear system identification technique based on modern machine learning methods that allows the critical features an observer uses to be inferred directly from the observer's data. The method neither requires stimuli to be embedded in noise nor is it limited to linear perceptive fields (classification images). We demonstrate our technique by deriving the critical image features observers fixate in natural scenes (bottom-up visual saliency). Unlike previous studies where the relevant structure is determined manuallyâ€”e.g. by selecting Gabors as visual filtersâ€”we do not make any assumptions in this regard, but numerically infer number and properties them from the eye-movement data. We show that center-surround patterns emerge as the optimal solution for predicting saccade targets from local image structure. The resulting model, a one-layer feed-forward network with contrast gain-control, is surprisingly simple compared to previously suggested saliency models. Nevertheless, our model is equally predictive. Furthermore, our findings are consistent with neurophysiological hardware in the superior colliculus. Bottom-up visual saliency may thus not be computed cortically as has been thought previously.

Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Wichmann, F., Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M. Non-linear System Identification: Visual Saliency Inferred from Eye-Movement Data Journal of Vision, 9(8):article 32, 2009 (article)

Web DOI [BibTex]

2008

Modelling contrast discrimination data suggest both the pedestal effect and stochastic resonance to be caused by the same mechanism

Goris, R., Wagemans, J., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Vision, 8(15):1-21, November 2008 (article)

Abstract

Computational models of spatial vision typically make use of a (rectified) linear filter, a nonlinearity and dominant late noise to account for human contrast discrimination data. Linear–nonlinear cascade models predict an improvement in observers' contrast detection performance when low, subthreshold levels of external noise are added (i.e., stochastic resonance). Here, we address the issue whether a single contrast gain-control model of early spatial vision can account for both the pedestal effect, i.e., the improved detectability of a grating in the presence of a low-contrast masking grating, and stochastic resonance. We measured contrast discrimination performance without noise and in both weak and moderate levels of noise. Making use of a full quantitative description of our data with few parameters combined with comprehensive model selection assessments, we show the pedestal effect to be more reduced in the presence of weak noise than in moderate noise. This reduction rules out independent, additive sources of performance improvement and, together with a simulation study, supports the parsimonious explanation that a single mechanism underlies the pedestal effect and stochastic resonance in contrast perception.

Web DOI [BibTex]

2008

ei Goris, R., Wagemans, J., Wichmann, F. Modelling contrast discrimination data suggest both the pedestal effect and stochastic resonance to be caused by the same mechanism Journal of Vision, 8(15):1-21, November 2008 (article)

Web DOI [BibTex]

Similarity, Kernels, and the Triangle Inequality

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 52(5):297-303, September 2008 (article)

Abstract

Similarity is used as an explanatory construct throughout psychology and multidimensional scaling (MDS) is the most popular way to assess similarity. In MDS, similarity is intimately connected to the idea of a geometric representation of stimuli in a perceptual space. Whilst connecting similarity and closeness of stimuli in a geometric representation may be intuitively plausible, Tversky and Gati [Tversky, A., Gati, I. (1982). Similarity, separability, and the triangle inequality. Psychological Review, 89(2), 123154] have reported data which are inconsistent with the usual geometric representations that are based on segmental additivity. We show that similarity measures based on Shepards universal law of generalization [Shepard, R. N. (1987). Toward a universal law of generalization for psychologica science. Science, 237(4820), 13171323] lead to an inner product representation in a reproducing kernel Hilbert space. In such a space stimuli are represented by their similarity to all other stimuli. This representation, based on Shepards law, has a natural metric that does not have additive segments whilst still retaining the intuitive notion of connecting similarity and distance between stimuli. Furthermore, this representation has the psychologically appealing property that the distance between stimuli is bounded.

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ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. Similarity, Kernels, and the Triangle Inequality Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 52(5):297-303, September 2008 (article)

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Visual saliency re-visited: Center-surround patterns emerge as optimal predictors for human fixation targets

Wichmann, F., Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M.

Journal of Vision, 8(6):635, 8th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS), June 2008 (poster)

Abstract

Humans perceives the world by directing the center of gaze from one location to another via rapid eye movements, called saccades. In the period between saccades the direction of gaze is held fixed for a few hundred milliseconds (fixations). It is primarily during fixations that information enters the visual system. Remarkably, however, after only a few fixations we perceive a coherent, high-resolution scene despite the visual acuity of the eye quickly decreasing away from the center of gaze: This suggests an effective strategy for selecting saccade targets. Top-down effects, such as the observer's task, thoughts, or intentions have an effect on saccadic selection. Equally well known is that bottom-up effects-local image structure-influence saccade targeting regardless of top-down effects. However, the question of what the most salient visual features are is still under debate. Here we model the relationship between spatial intensity patterns in natural images and the response of the saccadic system using tools from machine learning. This allows us to identify the most salient image patterns that guide the bottom-up component of the saccadic selection system, which we refer to as perceptive fields. We show that center-surround patterns emerge as the optimal solution to the problem of predicting saccade targets. Using a novel nonlinear system identification technique we reduce our learned classifier to a one-layer feed-forward network which is surprisingly simple compared to previously suggested models assuming more complex computations such as multi-scale processing, oriented filters and lateral inhibition. Nevertheless, our model is equally predictive and generalizes better to novel image sets. Furthermore, our findings are consistent with neurophysiological hardware in the superior colliculus. Bottom-up visual saliency may thus not be computed cortically as has been thought previously.

Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Wichmann, F., Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M. Visual saliency re-visited: Center-surround patterns emerge as optimal predictors for human fixation targets Journal of Vision, 8(6):635, 8th Annual Meeting of the Vision Sciences Society (VSS), June 2008 (poster)

Web DOI [BibTex]

Generalization and Similarity in Exemplar Models of Categorization: Insights from Machine Learning

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 15(2):256-271, April 2008 (article)

Abstract

Exemplar theories of categorization depend on similarity for explaining subjects ability to generalize to new stimuli. A major criticism of exemplar theories concerns their lack of abstraction mechanisms and thus, seemingly, generalization ability. Here, we use insights from machine learning to demonstrate that exemplar models can actually generalize very well. Kernel methods in machine learning are akin to exemplar models and very successful in real-world applications. Their generalization performance depends crucially on the chosen similaritymeasure. While similarity plays an important role in describing generalization behavior it is not the only factor that controls generalization performance. In machine learning, kernel methods are often combined with regularization techniques to ensure good generalization. These same techniques are easily incorporated in exemplar models. We show that the Generalized Context Model (Nosofsky, 1986) and ALCOVE (Kruschke, 1992) are closely related to a statistical model called kernel logistic regression. We argue that generalization is central to the enterprise of understanding categorization behavior and suggest how insights from machine learning can offer some guidance. Keywords: kernel, similarity, regularization, generalization, categorization.

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ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. Generalization and Similarity in Exemplar Models of Categorization: Insights from Machine Learning Psychonomic Bulletin and Review, 15(2):256-271, April 2008 (article)

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2007

A Tutorial on Kernel Methods for Categorization

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 51(6):343-358, December 2007 (article)

Abstract

The abilities to learn and to categorize are fundamental for cognitive systems, be it animals or machines, and therefore have attracted attention from engineers and psychologists alike. Modern machine learning methods and psychological models of categorization are remarkably similar, partly because these two fields share a common history in artificial neural networks and reinforcement learning. However, machine learning is now an independent and mature field that has moved beyond psychologically or neurally inspired algorithms towards providing foundations for a theory of learning that is rooted in statistics and functional analysis. Much of this research is potentially interesting for psychological theories of learning and categorization but also hardly accessible for psychologists. Here, we provide a tutorial introduction to a popular class of machine learning tools, called kernel methods. These methods are closely related to perceptrons, radial-basis-function neural networks and exemplar theories of catego rization. Recent theoretical advances in machine learning are closely tied to the idea that the similarity of patterns can be encapsulated in a positive definite kernel. Such a positive definite kernel can define a reproducing kernel Hilbert space which allows one to use powerful tools from functional analysis for the analysis of learning algorithms. We give basic explanations of some key conceptsthe so-called kernel trick, the representer theorem and regularizationwhich may open up the possibility that insights from machine learning can feed back into psychology.

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2007

ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. A Tutorial on Kernel Methods for Categorization Journal of Mathematical Psychology, 51(6):343-358, December 2007 (article)

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Inducing Metric Violations in Human Similarity Judgements

Laub, J., Macke, J., Müller, K., Wichmann, F.

In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 19, pages: 777-784, (Editors: Schölkopf, B. , J. Platt, T. Hofmann), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, Twentieth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), September 2007 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Attempting to model human categorization and similarity judgements is both a very interesting but also an exceedingly difficult challenge. Some of the difficulty arises because of conflicting evidence whether human categorization and similarity judgements should or should not be modelled as to operate on a mental representation that is essentially metric. Intuitively, this has a strong appeal as it would allow (dis)similarity to be represented geometrically as distance in some internal space. Here we show how a single stimulus, carefully constructed in a psychophysical experiment, introduces l2 violations in what used to be an internal similarity space that could be adequately modelled as Euclidean. We term this one influential data point a conflictual judgement. We present an algorithm of how to analyse such data and how to identify the crucial point. Thus there may not be a strict dichotomy between either a metric or a non-metric internal space but rather degrees to which potentially large subsets of stimuli are represented metrically with a small subset causing a global violation of metricity.

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ei Laub, J., Macke, J., Müller, K., Wichmann, F. Inducing Metric Violations in Human Similarity Judgements In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 19, pages: 777-784, (Editors: Schölkopf, B. , J. Platt, T. Hofmann), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, Twentieth Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), September 2007 (inproceedings)

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How to Find Interesting Locations in Video: A Spatiotemporal Interest Point Detector Learned from Human Eye movements

Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F., Franz, M.

In Pattern Recognition, pages: 405-414, (Editors: FA Hamprecht and C Schnörr and B Jähne), Springer, Berlin, Germany, 29th Annual Symposium of the German Association for Pattern Recognition (DAGM), September 2007 (inproceedings)

Abstract

Interest point detection in still images is a well-studied topic in computer vision. In the spatiotemporal domain, however, it is still unclear which features indicate useful interest points. In this paper we approach the problem by emph{learning} a detector from examples: we record eye movements of human subjects watching video sequences and train a neural network to predict which locations are likely to become eye movement targets. We show that our detector outperforms current spatiotemporal interest point architectures on a standard classification dataset.

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ei Kienzle, W., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F., Franz, M. How to Find Interesting Locations in Video: A Spatiotemporal Interest Point Detector Learned from Human Eye movements In Pattern Recognition, pages: 405-414, (Editors: FA Hamprecht and C Schnörr and B Jähne), Springer, Berlin, Germany, 29th Annual Symposium of the German Association for Pattern Recognition (DAGM), September 2007 (inproceedings)

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A Nonparametric Approach to Bottom-Up Visual Saliency

Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M.

In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 19, pages: 689-696, (Editors: B Schölkopf and J Platt and T Hofmann), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 20th Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), September 2007 (inproceedings)

Abstract

This paper addresses the bottom-up influence of local image information on human eye movements. Most existing computational models use a set of biologically plausible linear filters, e.g., Gabor or Difference-of-Gaussians filters as a front-end, the outputs of which are nonlinearly combined into a real number that indicates visual saliency. Unfortunately, this requires many design parameters such as the number, type, and size of the front-end filters, as well as the choice of nonlinearities, weighting and normalization schemes etc., for which biological plausibility cannot always be justified. As a result, these parameters have to be chosen in a more or less ad hoc way. Here, we propose to emph{learn} a visual saliency model directly from human eye movement data. The model is rather simplistic and essentially parameter-free, and therefore contrasts recent developments in the field that usually aim at higher prediction rates at the cost of additional parameters and increasing model complexity. Experimental results show that - despite the lack of any biological prior knowledge - our model performs comparably to existing approaches, and in fact learns image features that resemble findings from several previous studies. In particular, its maximally excitatory stimuli have center-surround structure, similar to receptive fields in the early human visual system.

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ei Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M. A Nonparametric Approach to Bottom-Up Visual Saliency In Advances in Neural Information Processing Systems 19, pages: 689-696, (Editors: B Schölkopf and J Platt and T Hofmann), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 20th Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NIPS), September 2007 (inproceedings)

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Learning the Influence of Spatio-Temporal Variations in Local Image Structure on Visual Saliency

Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M.

10th T{\"u}binger Wahrnehmungskonferenz (TWK 2007), 10, pages: 1, July 2007 (poster)

Abstract

Computational models for bottom-up visual attention traditionally consist of a bank of Gabor-like or Difference-of-Gaussians filters and a nonlinear combination scheme which combines the filter responses into a real-valued saliency measure [1]. Recently it was shown that a standard machine learning algorithm can be used to derive a saliency model from human eye movement data with a very small number of additional assumptions. The learned model is much simpler than previous models, but nevertheless has state-of-the-art prediction performance [2]. A central result from this study is that DoG-like center-surround filters emerge as the unique solution to optimizing the predictivity of the model. Here we extend the learning method to the temporal domain. While the previous model [2] predicts visual saliency based on local pixel intensities in a static image, our model also takes into account temporal intensity variations. We find that the learned model responds strongly to temporal intensity changes ocurring 200-250ms before a saccade is initiated. This delay coincides with the typical saccadic latencies, indicating that the learning algorithm has extracted a meaningful statistic from the training data. In addition, we show that the model correctly predicts a significant proportion of human eye movements on previously unseen test data.

Web [BibTex]

ei Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M. Learning the Influence of Spatio-Temporal Variations in Local Image Structure on Visual Saliency 10th T{\"u}binger Wahrnehmungskonferenz (TWK 2007), 10, pages: 1, July 2007 (poster)

Web [BibTex]

Texture and object motion in slant discrimination: Failure of reliability-based weighting of cues may be evidence for strong fusion

Rosas, P., Wichmann, F., Wagemans, J.

Journal of Vision, 7(6:3):1-21, April 2007 (article)

PDF DOI [BibTex]

ei Rosas, P., Wichmann, F., Wagemans, J. Texture and object motion in slant discrimination: Failure of reliability-based weighting of cues may be evidence for strong fusion Journal of Vision, 7(6:3):1-21, April 2007 (article)

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The Independent Components of Natural Images are Perceptually Dependent

Bethge, M., Wiecki, T., Wichmann, F.

In Human Vision and Electronic Imaging XII, pages: 1-12, (Editors: Rogowitz, B. E.), SPIE, Bellingham, WA, USA, SPIE Human Vision and Electronic Imaging Conference, February 2007 (inproceedings)

Abstract

The independent components of natural images are a set of linear filters which are optimized for statistical independence. With such a set of filters images can be represented without loss of information. Intriguingly, the filter shapes are localized, oriented, and bandpass, resembling important properties of V1 simple cell receptive fields. Here we address the question of whether the independent components of natural images are also perceptually less dependent than other image components. We compared the pixel basis, the ICA basis and the discrete cosine basis by asking subjects to interactively predict missing pixels (for the pixel basis) or to predict the coefficients of ICA and DCT basis functions in patches of natural images. Like Kersten (1987) we find the pixel basis to be perceptually highly redundant but perhaps surprisingly, the ICA basis showed significantly higher perceptual dependencies than the DCT basis. This shows a dissociation between statistical and perceptual dependence measures.

PDF Web DOI [BibTex]

ei Bethge, M., Wiecki, T., Wichmann, F. The Independent Components of Natural Images are Perceptually Dependent In Human Vision and Electronic Imaging XII, pages: 1-12, (Editors: Rogowitz, B. E.), SPIE, Bellingham, WA, USA, SPIE Human Vision and Electronic Imaging Conference, February 2007 (inproceedings)

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About the Triangle Inequality in Perceptual Spaces

Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F.

Proceedings of the Computational and Systems Neuroscience Meeting 2007 (COSYNE), 4, pages: 308, February 2007 (poster)

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ei Jäkel, F., Schölkopf, B., Wichmann, F. About the Triangle Inequality in Perceptual Spaces Proceedings of the Computational and Systems Neuroscience Meeting 2007 (COSYNE), 4, pages: 308, February 2007 (poster)

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Center-surround filters emerge from optimizing predictivity in a free-viewing task

Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M.

Proceedings of the Computational and Systems Neuroscience Meeting 2007 (COSYNE), 4, pages: 207, February 2007 (poster)

PDF Web [BibTex]

ei Kienzle, W., Wichmann, F., Schölkopf, B., Franz, M. Center-surround filters emerge from optimizing predictivity in a free-viewing task Proceedings of the Computational and Systems Neuroscience Meeting 2007 (COSYNE), 4, pages: 207, February 2007 (poster)

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Felix A. Wichmann

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