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/fβ Fourier amplitude spectra (average β: 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 β 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.