The Flash-Lag Phenomenon: Object Motion and Eye Movements

An object flashed briefly in a given location, the moment another moving object arrives in the same location, is perceived by observers as lagging behind the moving object (flash-lag effect). Does the flash-lag effect occur if the retinal image of the moving object is rendered stationary by smooth pursuit of the moving object? Does the flash-lag effect occur if the retinal image of a stationary object is caused to move by smooth-pursuit eye movements? A disk was briefly flashed in the center of a moving ring such that the ring center was completely ‘filled’ by the disk. In this display, observers perceived the flashed disk to lag such that it appeared only to partially ‘fill’ the ring center. The ‘unfilled’ portion (perceived void) of the moving ring was seen in the color of the background. With smooth pursuit of the ring, the flash-lag effect was eliminated, and observers saw the flashed disk centered on the moving ring. A strong flash-lag effect was observed when observers smoothly pursued a moving point target past a continuously visible stationary ring. Once again, the flashed disk appeared to only partially fill the center of the continuously visible stationary ring, yielding a vivid ‘perceived void’. These results are discussed in terms of neural delays and their compensation.

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