TY - JOUR
T1 - Visual Rivalry Without Spatial Conflict
AU - van Boxtel, Jeroen J.A.
AU - Koch, Christof
PY - 2012/1/1
Y1 - 2012/1/1
N2 - Visual rivalry has been extensively characterized in the literature. It is thought to require spatial conflict between overlapping visual presentations, even in studies that have found nonspatial (i.e., nonretinal) influences on rivalry. Unexpectedly, we identified visual rivalry in the complete absence of spatial conflict. Participants experienced visual rivalry when we placed a nonambiguous motion stimulus in a nonspatial (in our case, object-based) reference frame. Moreover, a stimulus that was displaced within a nonspatial reference frame did not induce rivalry despite the presence of spatial conflict. This finding shows that nonspatial, object-based processing can overrule retinotopic processing and prevent rivalry from occurring when a perceived stimulus exists unambiguously in an object-based reference frame. Our results identify a potent high-level conflict-resolution stage independent of low-level spatial visual conflict. This independence of spatial overlap provides an advantage to the visual system, allowing conflict resolution when an object is nonstationary on the retina (e.g., during frequently occurring eye movements).
AB - Visual rivalry has been extensively characterized in the literature. It is thought to require spatial conflict between overlapping visual presentations, even in studies that have found nonspatial (i.e., nonretinal) influences on rivalry. Unexpectedly, we identified visual rivalry in the complete absence of spatial conflict. Participants experienced visual rivalry when we placed a nonambiguous motion stimulus in a nonspatial (in our case, object-based) reference frame. Moreover, a stimulus that was displaced within a nonspatial reference frame did not induce rivalry despite the presence of spatial conflict. This finding shows that nonspatial, object-based processing can overrule retinotopic processing and prevent rivalry from occurring when a perceived stimulus exists unambiguously in an object-based reference frame. Our results identify a potent high-level conflict-resolution stage independent of low-level spatial visual conflict. This independence of spatial overlap provides an advantage to the visual system, allowing conflict resolution when an object is nonstationary on the retina (e.g., during frequently occurring eye movements).
KW - ambiguous motion quartet
KW - object based
KW - retinotopic
KW - rivalry
KW - spatial perception
KW - spatiotopic
KW - visual perception
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84859817176&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/0956797611424165
DO - 10.1177/0956797611424165
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84859817176
SN - 0956-7976
VL - 23
SP - 410
EP - 418
JO - Psychological Science
JF - Psychological Science
IS - 4
ER -