Abstract
Following adaptation to a uniform patch surrounded by dynamic random noises, observers often can perceive some twinkle noises in the region of the uniform patch when they view a blank field. This is called the induced twinkle aftereffect (TwAE). Previous studies suggest a possibly early neural site for the TwAE. For example, there is no interocular transfer of the TwAE, implying that the mechanism responsible for the TwAE is not beyond V1. In the current study, we investigated the role of attention during the formation of the TwAE. Results show that directing attention away to an irrelevant RSVP task significantly reduced the duration of the TwAE. In other words, the TwAE is modulated by attention. We further investigated the role of awareness in the TwAE, preliminary observation based on manipulating the flicker frequency suggests that the TwAE is dependent on awareness of the flickering surround. Rendering the surrounding dynamic noise invisible (sometimes intermittently) through continuous interocular suppression also significantly reduced the TwAE duration, compared to monocular viewing, further supporting the important role of awareness in generating the TwAE. Together, results from this study suggest that the twinkle aftereffect may be a multi-stage phenomenon and mechanisms beyond V1 may also contribute to its formation.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2014