Binocular summation in humans: evidence for a hierarchic model.

1. Binocular summation was studied in human subjects using a batter of vision tests. Two tests assessed detection, another three acuity, one hyperacuity and one pattern recognition. 2. The magnitude of summation was consistent with, or exceeded, the level predicted from quadratic summation for both detection tests. 3. The summation factor was significantly smaller in the resolution tests than in the detection tests. Hyperacuity showed a large individual variation. 4. Spatial filtering of acuity targets did not influence summation. 5. No summation was found in the pattern recognition test. 6. It is argued that the degree of summation is related to the complexity of the visual task. A simple task yields a larger binocular summation than a more complex one. This may be related to the level of processing in the primary visual cortex.