A great deal of research has been conducted on the effects of vibration on visual acuity. The human contrast sensitivity function (CSF) has also been studied extensively as a predictor of visual performance under real-world conditions. However, no previous studies have combined the two lines of research and examined the effect of vibration on the CSF. Prior research indicates that increasing rates of vibration correspond to a decrease in traditional measures of visual acuity. However, other studies indicate that motion enhances target detection. The present study examined the effects of vibration upon the CSF and found that vibration lowers the threshold of detection for low spatial frequencies but raises the threshold for high spatial frequencies. A loss of contrast at high spatial frequencies due to retinal "smear" may be the cause of this increase in high spatial frequency thresholds under vibration. Physiological mechanisms of motion detection, direction selectivity, and visual pathways are also discussed. This study may have important implications for aerospace medicine and occupations which demand viewing a target or instrument panel under conditions of vibration. / Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2000. / Bibliography: leaves 45-57.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio University, June, 1998. / Title from PDF t.p.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Carleton University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 202-217). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2008. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 77 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 74-77).

A portable device was constructed which presents moving, computer generated, sine-wave grating slide projections that range in spatial frequency from 0.4 to 20.5 cycles per degree. At each of two different testing sessions, the contrast sensitivities of 60 undergraduate psychology majors were measured at a static, 25 deg/sec, and 50 deg/sec target movement condition. The results indicate that as target velocity was increased, contrast sensitivity decreased at middle and high spatial frequencies but that contrast sensitivity was enhanced at very low spatial frequencies by target movement. Also, the area of peak sensitivity shifted toward lower spatial frequencies as target velocity increased. In addition, test, re-test reliability was demonstrated. The results are consistent with previous Dynamic Visual Acuity (DVA) research which has shown that the ability to resolve fine detail decreases as target velocities increase, presumedly due to limitations in eye movement control. The testing device, which was designed and constructed for the present study, has proven to be a reliable means for measuring dynamic contrast sensitivity (DCS) and has some distinct advantages over existing methods for measuring both DVA and DCS and, as such, will be valuable in future DVA and DCS research. / Master of Science

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 1999. / Originally published: Knegsel : HV Press, 1999. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 1999. / Originally published: Knegsel : HV Press, 1999. Includes bibliographical references and index. Online version available. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/3.353254

Thesis (doctoral)--Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, 1999. / Originally published: Knegsel : HV Press, 1999. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 101 p. : ill. (some col.). Vita. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-99).