Abstract
Perceptual fading could be induced immediately if an additional transient stimulus was presented near a target object (Kanai & Kamitani, 2003, Sakaguchi, 2004). The present study asked how faded objects came back to our awareness utilizing this immediate fading effect. In one experiment, we tested that the fading state was extinguished by changes in the target's shape (i.e., contour) or in its feature (i.e., color). The result showed that the target reappeared and came back to awareness by a slight change either in its shape or color. This cancellation was triggered even by change in a small part of the target region. In another experiment, we investigated the nature of color adaptation of a faded object. A colored object was brought into a fading state by the immediate fading effect. After a while, the fading was canceled by making the object color achromatic. Then, the revived achromatic object was perceived as if it were colored by the complementary color. This means that color adaptation proceeded automatically unaccompanied by awareness. Putting above facts together, it can be said that two different kinds of visual processing go on for the faded object: One that necessarily brings the object back to our awareness (i.e., physical change in the object feature), and one that proceeds without disturbing the fading state (i.e., color adaptation). This may suggest that our perceptual system could dissociate the external and internal changes of the object.