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Satiation or availability? Effects of attention, memory, and imagery on the perception of ambiguous figuresThe prolonged-inspection technique has been used to demonstrate effects of satiation on the perception of ambiguous figures. We propose that the inspection phase, in which subjects view an unambiguous version of the stimulus prior to observing the ambiguous figure, does not create neural fatigue but rather provides a context in which the alternative percept is apprehended and gains perceptual strength through processes such as imagination or memory. The consequent availability of the alternative organization drives the perceptual phenomena that have been thought to reflect satiation. In Experiment 1, we demonstrated that (1) preexperimental exposure to the target figures and (2) allocation of attention to the inspection figures were both necessary in order to obtain results similar to those predicted by the satiation model. In Experiment 2, we obtained similar results, finding that effects of prior inspection were greater the greater the amount and availability of information regarding the alternative percept during the inspection phase. Subjects who generated visual images of the noninspected alternative during inspection yielded results comparable to those from subjects to whom both versions were presented visually.
Document ID
19930071351
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Horlitz, Krista L.
(Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, NJ; NASA, Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
O'Leary, Ann
(Rutgers Univ. New Brunswick, NJ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 16, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1993
Publication Information
Publication: Perception & Psychophysics
Volume: 53
Issue: 6
ISSN: 0031-5117
Subject Category
Behavioral Sciences
Accession Number
93A55348
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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