Neural acclimation to 1/f spatial frequency spectra in natural images transduced by the human visual system

Most natural images, although apparently diverse, have surprisingly regular 1/f(beta) Fourier amplitude spectra (average beta: 1.05-1.20). If the visual system evolved and develops in this spectral environment, is there a sense in which human vision displays commensurate fractal properties? Correlation analysis was applied to human spatial frequency contrast sensitivity. Adults - but not infants - show power law correlational structure consistent with a beta of 1.09-1.20 (closely matched to that of natural images). This result provides insights into multi-scale spatial frequency processing in human vision and provides a basis for understanding perceptual phenomena like contrast control and motion deblurring. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.