Abstract
Multiple ambiguous objects in view simultaneously are perceived as identical more often than chance. Standard binocular rivalry experiments reveal grouping by color, pattern, and other Gestalt principles. These so-called "coherent" identical percepts can be formed by grouping spatially-separated objects across the two rivaling images, resulting in complete suppression of one coherent percept in favor of the other. Perception of one or the other coherent image, however, does not always occur; instead, rivalrous, orthogonal gratings are sometimes seen as a plaid - a percept that never occurs in either eye's stimulus. Can coherent, grouped plaid percepts occur, given that plaid is an integrated percept from both eyes' stimuli? METHODS All conditions presented pairs of dichoptic, equiluminant gratings, one pair above and one below fixation. These gratings were exchanged between the eyes at 3.75Hz in interocular-switch rivalry. Alternating gratings always had orthogonal orientations to allow for a plaid percept if fused, and could differ in chromaticity ('red' rivaling with 'green') or not (orthogonal gratings both 'red' or both 'green'). Additionally, the pair of gratings presented above fixation could be either the same non-rivalrous chromaticity as below, different non-rivalrous chromaticities, both with rivaling chromaticities, or one pair with rivalrous chromaticities and one with non-rivalrous chromaticities. Observers reported grouped percepts when both gratings appeared to be the same orientation (left-tilted or right-tilted) or both plaid. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS When single orientation gratings were perceived above and below fixation, they appeared the same (both left-tilted or both right-tilted) more often than chance for all conditions. When plaids were perceived, most observers perceived grouped single-chromaticity plaids, even if the non-rivalrous chromaticity above fixation did not match the chromaticity below fixation. This indicates that grouping can occur at the level of integrated percepts (plaids) and is not limited by an individual feature difference such as color.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2018