Effects of attention on visual experience during monocular rivalry

There is a long-running debate over the extent to which volitional attention can modulate the appearance of visual stimuli. Here we use monocular rivalry between afterimages to explore the effects of attention on the contents of visual experience. In three experiments, we demonstrate that attended afterimages are seen for longer periods, on average, than unattended afterimages. This occurs both when a feature of the afterimage is attended directly and when a frame surrounding the afterimage is attended. The results of these experiments show that volitional attention can dramatically influence the contents of visual experience.

[1]  Mark A. Georgeson,et al.  Eye movements, afterimages and monocular rivalry , 1984, Vision Research.

[2]  N. Logothetis,et al.  Multistable phenomena: changing views in perception , 1999, Trends in Cognitive Sciences.

[3]  N. Logothetis,et al.  Visual competition , 2002, Nature Reviews Neuroscience.

[4]  Vision Research , 1961, Nature.

[5]  Raymond van Ee,et al.  Distributions of alternation rates in various forms of bistable perception. , 2005, Journal of vision.

[6]  David Alais,et al.  Monocular rivalry exhibits three hallmarks of binocular rivalry: Evidence for common processes , 2009, Vision Research.

[7]  G. J. Brouwer,et al.  Voluntary control and the dynamics of perceptual bi-stability , 2005, Vision Research.

[8]  F. Tong,et al.  Can attention selectively bias bistable perception? Differences between binocular rivalry and ambiguous figures. , 2004, Journal of vision.

[9]  J. Gallant,et al.  Combined effects of spatial and feature-based attention on responses of V4 neurons , 2009, Vision Research.

[10]  Søren K. Andersen,et al.  Effects of Feature-selective and Spatial Attention at Different Stages of Visual Processing , 2011, Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

[11]  Boris Crassini,et al.  Monocular rivalry occurs without eye movements , 1982, Vision Research.

[12]  Stefan Treue,et al.  Feature-based attention influences motion processing gain in macaque visual cortex , 1999, Nature.

[13]  D G Pelli,et al.  The VideoToolbox software for visual psychophysics: transforming numbers into movies. , 1997, Spatial vision.

[14]  R. Blake.  © 2001 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands. 5 A Primer on Binocular Rivalry, Including Current Controversies , 2000 .

[15]  Hermann von Helmholtz,et al.  Treatise on Physiological Optics , 1962 .

[16]  Zijiang J. He,et al.  Binocular Rivalry and Visual Awareness: The Role of Attention , 1999, Perception.

[17]  Kung Yao,et al.  Perceptual dominance time distributions in multistable visual perception , 2004, Biological Cybernetics.

[18]  NIGEL W. DAW,et al.  Why After-Images are not Seen in Normal Circumstances , 1962, Nature.

[19]  R. Blake,et al.  Endogenous attention prolongs dominance durations in binocular rivalry. , 2005, Journal of vision.

[20]  Timothy J Andrews,et al.  The Role of Voluntary and Involuntary Attention in Selecting Perceptual Dominance during Binocular Rivalry , 2007, Perception.

[21]  N. Logothetis,et al.  Global competition dictates local suppression in pattern rivalry. , 2005, Journal of vision.

[22]  Jared Abrams,et al.  Voluntary attention increases perceived spatial frequency , 2010, Attention, perception & psychophysics.

[23]  Stuart Anstis,et al.  Filling-in afterimage colors between the lines , 2009, Current Biology.

[24]  Raymond van Ee,et al.  Dynamics of perceptual bi-stability for stereoscopic slant rivalry and a comparison with grating, house-face, and Necker cube rivalry , 2005, Vision Research.

[25]  P. Tse.  Voluntary attention modulates the brightness of overlapping transparent surfaces , 2005, Vision Research.

[26]  D H Brainard,et al.  The Psychophysics Toolbox. , 1997, Spatial vision.

[27]  M. Carrasco,et al.  PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Research Article Voluntary Attention Enhances Contrast Appearance , 2022 .

[28]  J. Gallant,et al.  ReportTime Course of Attention Reveals Different Mechanisms for Spatial and Feature-Based Attention In Area V 4 , 2005 .