Abstract
Peripheral visual objects may be perceived to have an illusory conjunction of features that is physically present in only the central visual field (Wu, Kanai & Shimojo, Nature 2004). Central objects play a role in initiating peripheral binding errors of motion and color but are not the sole source of the misbound motion features (Sun & Shevell, VSS 2010). The role of central objects in perceived peripheral color features remains an open question. RATIONALE: (a) Do color percepts of peripheral objects depend on whether the central stimulus is present? If so, then the central stimulus alters color binding of peripheral objects. (b) Can the perceived color of peripheral objects be a color physically present in only the central stimulus? If so, then the center contributes chromatic information to objects in the periphery. METHODS: The central stimulus was either (1) blank or (2) had red dots moving upward and green dots moving downward. The peripheral stimulus had (1) only white dots or (2) white and red dots. Upward- and downward-moving peripheral dots were always 50% each. The proportion of red dots among upward- and downward-moving peripheral dots was varied from 0% to 50%, with the rest white. Observers reported the colors of the majority of peripheral (1) upward-moving and (2) downward-moving dots. RESULTS: (i) The color percept of red in the periphery was enhanced or suppressed by the central stimulus, depending on whether the peripheral red dots moved in the same direction as the central red objects. (ii) Peripheral dots were never perceived to be red or green when all peripheral dots were white. (iii) Peripheral dots were never perceived to be green when green dots were present in only the center. CONCLUSION: The central stimuli alter color binding for peripheral objects but need not contribute a color feature perceived in the periphery.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2012