The glare effect does not give rise to a longer-lasting afterimage.
The glare effect is an illusion in which a region appears self-luminous when flanked by gradients that decrease in luminance with distance from the region (Zavagno, 1999 Perception 28 835-838). This region also appears brighter than a surface of the same luminance. We investigated, using the paradigm of afterimages, whether a low-level mechanism at the level of the retina or LGN could account for this apparent brighter sensation. We first replicated the result from the literature that brighter and longer-lasting physical stimuli generate longer-lasting afterimages. We then compared the glare-effect stimuli with their counterpart controls, and found that the glare-effect stimuli did not give rise to longer-lasting afterimages. This suggests that the apparent brighter sensation of the glare effect is not due to a retinal or LGN mechanism, but must have a cortical origin.
Lu
Hongjing
H
Department of Psychology, University of California at Los Angeles, 1285 Franz Hall, Box 951563, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1563, USA.
Zavagno
Daniele
D
Liu
Zili
Z
D000360:Afterimage; D005829:Geniculate Bodies / Q000502:physiology; D019466:Glare; D006801:Humans; D008029:Lighting; D009903:Optical Illusions; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics; D012160:Retina / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception