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Name	Keith A. May
Date of birth	26th October 1969
Postal address	Department of Optometry and Visual Science, City University London, Tait Building, Northampton Square, London, EC1V 0HB, UK
Tel	020 7040 4323 (from outside UK: +44 20 7040 4323)
email

I use psychophysical and computational techniques to investigate the early stages of processing performed by the human visual system. My research falls mainly into five related areas:

• Detection and representation of edges and texture boundaries
• Integration of edges and texture boundaries across space (contour integration)
• Coding of low-level image properties, e.g. contrast, colour and blur
• Efficiency of visual processing
• Visual attention

• Vision Sciences Society
• Applied Vision Association

• SPSS practical classes (Bradford University Psychology BSc course)
• Optometric Maths practical classes (Bradford University Optometry BSc course)
• Physiology of Vision and Perception practical classes (Bradford University Optometry BSc course)
• Supervision of undergraduate projects at Bradford, McGill and St. Andrews Universities

• One project grant application for the Wellcome Trust
• Abstracts for the following Applied Vision Association conferences: AGM 2007, 2010; Christmas meeting 2009
• Papers for the following journals (numbers of papers given in brackets): Computer Vision and Image Understanding (1), Journal of Vision (9), Perception (1), PLoS Computational Biology (1), Proceedings of the Royal Society B (1), Vision Research (2)

• European Conference on Visual Perception, Paris, 2003: "Low-level Processes" session
• Applied Vision Association Christmas Meeting, Aston University, 2003

• BMVA/EPSRC Annual Summer School on Computer Vision 2009–2011: "Biological Vision"
• Psychology of Visual Art Summer School, Kingston University, 2010: "Motion, Blur, and Motion Blur"

1. May, K.A., Zhaoping, L. & Hibbard, P.B. (2012). Perceived direction of motion determined by adaptation to static binocular images. Current Biology, 22, 28–32.
   PDF (588 KB) Supplemental Experimental Procedures (56 KB)
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2. May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2011). Exploring the roles of saturating and supersaturating contrast-response functions in conjunction detection and contrast coding. Journal of Vision, 11(9):11, 1–15.
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3. Zhaoping, L., Geisler, W.S. & May, K.A. (2011). Human wavelength discrimination of monochromatic light explained by optimal wavelength decoding of light of unknown intensity. PLoS ONE, 6(5): e19248.
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4. May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2009). Effects of surrounding frame on visual search for vertical or tilted bars. Journal of Vision, 9(13):20, 1–19.
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5. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2008). Effects of element separation and carrier wavelength on detection of snakes and ladders: Implications for models of contour integration. Journal of Vision, 8(13):4, 1–23. Download Quicktime Movie (4.5 MB)
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6. Hess, R.F., Baker, D.H., May, K.A. & Wang, J. (2008). On the decline of 1st and 2nd order sensitivity with eccentricity. Journal of Vision, 8(1):19, 1–12.
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7. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2007). Ladder contours are undetectable in the periphery: A crowding effect? Journal of Vision, 7(13):9, 1–15.
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8. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2007). Dynamics of snakes and ladders. Journal of Vision, 7(12):13, 1–9.
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9. Georgeson, M.A., May, K.A., Freeman, T.C.A. & Hesse, G.S. (2007). From filters to features: Scale–space analysis of edge and blur coding in human vision. Journal of Vision, 7(13):7, 1–21.
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10. May, K.A. & Georgeson, M.A. (2007). Added luminance ramp alters perceived edge blur and contrast: A critical test for derivative-based models of edge coding. Vision Research, 47(13), 1721–1731.
    PDF (305 KB) Supplementary files (5 KB)
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11. May, K.A. & Georgeson, M.A. (2007). Blurred edges look faint, and faint edges look sharp: The effect of a gradient threshold in a multi-scale edge coding model. Vision Research, 47(13), 1705–1720.
    PDF (352 KB) Supplementary files (4 KB)
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12. Zhaoping, L. & May, K.A. (2007). Psychophysical tests of the hypothesis of a bottom-up saliency map in primary visual cortex. PLoS Computational Biology, 3(4), e62.
    PDF (2.3 MB) Note: This pdf file has higher-quality images than the one that is now available on the PLoS Computational Biology website. They used to provide high and low quality versions, but now only provide low-quality versions.
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13. Perrett, D.I., May, K.A. & Yoshikawa, S. (1994). Facial shape and judgements of female attractiveness. Nature, 368, 239–242.
    PDF (501 KB) Nature cover (111 KB)
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14. Thompson, P., May, K. & Stone, R. (1993). Chromostereopsis: A multicomponent depth effect? Displays, 14, 227–234.
    PDF (1.4 MB)
    This paper is also avaliable in CBZ format, in both high quality (10.8 MB) and medium quality (3.6 MB). Note: CBZ files are actually zip files containing the scanned images. You can change the file extension to '.zip' and unzip them as normal to get the image files. But if you keep them as CBZ files, you can read them with the free CDisplay comic book reader, which is a lot less sluggish than Acrobat Reader when viewing scanned documents.
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1. Zhaoping, L., May, K.A. & Koene, A. (2009). Some fingerprints of V1 mechanisms in the bottom up saliency for visual selection. In Heinke, D. & Mavritsaki, E. (Eds.), Computational Modelling in Behavioural Neuroscience: Closing the gap between neurophysiology and behaviour (pp. 137–164). London: Psychology Press. ISBN 978-1-84169-738-3. PDF (301 KB)

2. Zhaoping, L. & May, K.A. (2008). Testing the hypothesis that V1 creates a bottom-up saliency map. In Bharath, A. & Petrou, M. (Eds.), Next Generation Artificial Vision Systems: Reverse Engineering the Human Visual System. London: Artech House. ISBN 978-1-59693-224-1. PDF (547 KB)

1. May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2011). Contrast-response functions, Fisher information, and contrast decoding performance. Journal of Vision, 11(11):1172. (Poster presented at VSS 2011) Download poster (1.67 MB)
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2. Zeiner, K.M., Spitschan, M., May, K.A., Zhaoping, L. & Harris, J.M. (2011). Eye movements and reaction times for detecting monocular regions in binocularly viewed scenes. Journal of Vision, 11(11):326. (Poster presented at VSS 2011)
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3. May, K.A. (2011). Bayesian decoding of neural population responses explains many characteristics of contrast detection and discrimination. Perception, 40, ECVP Abstract Supplement, 51. (Talk presented at ECVP 2011)
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4. May, K.A., Zhaoping, L. & Hibbard, P.B. (2010). Binocular integration in human vision adapts to maximize information coding efficiency. Perception, 39, ECVP Abstract Supplement, 77. (Poster presented at ECVP 2010) Download poster (16.9 MB)
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5. May, K.A., Zhaoping, L. & Hibbard, P.B. (2010). Binocular integration in human vision adapts quickly to maximize coding efficiency. Perception, 39, 1149. (Talk presented at the AVA AGM 2010)
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6. Zhaoping, L. & May, K.A. (2010). Human monochromatic light discrimination explained by optimal signal decoding. Perception, 39, 1148–1149. (Talk presented at the AVA AGM 2010)
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7. May, K.A., Zhaoping, L. & Hibbard, P.B. (2010). Effects of image statistics on stereo coding in human vision. Journal of Vision, 10(7):359. (Poster presented at VSS 2010) Download poster (5.3 MB)
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8. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2010). Implementing curve detectors for contour integration. Perception, 39(2), 270. (Poster presented at the AVA Christmas meeting 2009) Download poster (15.7 MB)
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9. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2009). Implementing curve detectors for contour integration. Journal of Vision, 9(8):906, 906a. (Poster presented at VSS 2009) Download poster (15.7 MB)
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10. May, K.A. & McIlhagga, W.H. (2009). Probing edge blur perception with reverse correlation. Perception, 38(4), 621. (Talk presented at the AVA AGM 2009)
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11. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2008). Testing filter-overlap models of contour integration. Journal of Vision, 8(6):72, 72a. (Talk presented at VSS 2008)
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12. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2007). Contour integration and crowding: a similar type of mechanism? Perception, 36(9), 1399. (Talk presented at the AVA AGM 2007)
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13. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2007). Ladder contours are undetectable in the periphery. Journal of Vision, 7(9):113, 113a. (Talk presented at VSS 2007)
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14. May, K.A. & Hess, R.F. (2006). Snakes are as fast as ladders: evidence against the hypothesis that contrast facilitation mediates contour detection. Journal of Vision, 6(6), 337a. (Poster presented at VSS 2006) Download Poster as Powerpoint file (4.1 MB) or A3 size pdf (4.4 MB)
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15. May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2005). Both cognitive factors and local inhibition mediate the effect of a surrounding frame in visual search for oriented bars. Journal of Vision, 5(8), 959a. (Poster presented at VSS 2005) Download poster (819 KB)
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16. Guyader, N., May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2005). Top-down interference in visual search. Journal of Vision, 5(8), 951a. (Poster presented at VSS 2005)
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17. Zhaoping, L. & May, K. (2004). Irrelevance of feature maps for bottom up visual saliency in segmentation and search tasks. Program No. 20.1. 2004 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, DC: Society for Neuroscience, 2004.
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18. May, K.A. & Zhaoping, L. (2004). Investigating salience mechanisms by using the effects of surrounding frame on the tilted-vertical asymmetry in visual search. Perception, 33, Supplement, 12. (Talk presented at ECVP 2004)
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19. May, K.A. & Georgeson, M.A. (2004). Perceiving edge contrast. Perception, 33(6), 757. (Talk presented at the AVA Christmas Meeting 2003)
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20. May, K.A. & Georgeson, M.A. (2003). Perceiving edge blur: Gaussian-derivative filtering and a rectifying nonlinearity. Perception, 32, Supplement, 46. (Talk presented at ECVP 2003)
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21. May, K.A. & Georgeson, M.A. (2003). Perceiving edge blur: linear filtering and a rectifying nonlinearity. Perception, 32(3), 388. (Talk presented at the AVA Christmas Meeting 2002)
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22. Georgeson, M.A., May, K.A. & Barbieri-Hesse, G.S. (2003). Perceiving edge blur: the Gaussian-derivative template model. Journal of Vision, 3(9), 360a.
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