Abstract
Separated objects within the visual field that share common features such as orientation, chromaticity, or spatial frequency may be grouped perceptually. For example, the total time when two separated gratings will be seen during binocular rivalry (while rivalling against patches of noise) is longer when they share a common orientation compared to when they are orthogonal (Alais and Blake, 1999, Vis. Research). Sharing multiple features such as color, orientation, and spatial frequency enhances interocular grouping during binocular rivalry (Papathomas, Kovacs, and Conway, 1998, Binocular Rivalry). The current study tests the extent to which binocular grouping by color is diminished if the spatial frequencies of the stimuli being grouped differ. METHODS/STIMULI: Rivalrous chromatic fields were presented dichoptically, with 'red' and 'green' rivalrous gratings swapped between the two eyes at 3.75 Hz. This generated a sustained percept of one color of grating much longer than the alternation rate (after Christiansen, D'Antona and Shevell, 2017, JOV). The rivalruous stimuli were either a full disc, or a grating of either 3.3 or 5.0 cpd within a circular aperture. In different conditions, two rivalrous stimuli at separate retinotopic locations were (i) identical spatially (i.e., two separated discs or two separated identical gratings) or (ii) different (e.g., one disc and one grating, or a 3.3 and 5.0 cpd grating). Also, the orientation of rivalrous gratings could be the same or orthogonal at each retinotopic location. Observers held down buttons when the two separated fields both appeared 'red', 'green' or, in the case of rivalrous orthogonal gratings, plaid. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: Statistically significant grouping of the two separated fields was found for red, green, and plaid percepts regardless of the spatial frequency of the two stimuli (discs, 3.3, or 5.0 cpd gratings). Grouping by color as well as plaid was preserved despite patterns having different spatial features.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2018