Abstract
The visual performance to a visual target can be changed by the presence of another visual stimulus (Flanker) nearby. Many theories have been proposed to explain the flanker effects. We used a dual-task paradigm, in which an observer is to detect a target superimposed on a pedestal and in the presence of flankers, to investigate the mechanisms underlying such flanker effects. The typical result is that, compared with the no-flanker conditions, the target threshold vs. pedestal contrast (TvC) functions shifted horizontally on log-log coordinates when the flanker appears. This result can be explained by a model in which the effect of the flankers is to modulate both the excitatory and the divisive inhibitory sensitivity of the target mechanism to both the target and the pedestal. The flanker effect depends on spatial configuration of stimuli, such as the relative distance, location, orientation, phase, and depth between the target and the flankers. Such spatial configuration dependence suggests that the flanker effect may serve a function for contour and surface completion.
Meeting abstract presented at OSA Fall Vision 2012