title: Stimulus frequency influences spontaneous perceptual reversals in ambiguous apparent motion.
abstract: The temporal integration of continuous sensory information into a temporally extended percept becomes evident in spontaneous reversals of ambiguous apparent motion. To study the temporal relation of spontaneous percept reversals and temporal stimulus properties, we systematically varied presentation frequency in an ambiguous-apparent-motion paradigm. Moreover, we triggered percept reversals in a manner that was not consciously perceived by manipulating the duration of single frames. We found that the reversal rate depended on the stimulus frequency (with higher frequencies resulting in faster percept reversals) and that we could externally trigger perceptual reversals. Our findings support the idea that spontaneous reversals of ambiguous apparent motion are influenced by bottom-up effects at early processing levels. The paradigm allows for specific contrasts of spontaneous and externally triggered (but otherwise identical) perceptual reversals and, by this means, for further study of the underlying mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, München, Germany. ilg@neuro.med.tum.de
authors.forename: Rüdiger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ilg
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burazanis
authors.forename: Afra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wohlschläger
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wölleir
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wagenpfeil
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mühlau
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception; D013997:Time Factors; D014796:Visual Perception