title: Temporal dynamics of different cases of bi-stable figure-ground perception.
abstract: Segmentation of a visual scene in "figure" and "ground" is essential for perception of the three-dimensional layout of a scene. In cases of bi-stable perception, two distinct figure-ground interpretations alternate over time. We were interested in the temporal dynamics of these alternations, in particular when the same image is presented repeatedly, with short blank periods in-between. Surprisingly, we found that the intermittent presentation of Rubin's classical "face-or-vase" figure, which is frequently taken as a standard case of bi-stable figure-ground perception, often evoked perceptual switches during the short presentations and stabilization was not prominent. Interestingly, bi-stable perception of Kanizsa's anomalous transparency figure did strongly stabilize across blanks. We also found stabilization for the Necker cube, which we used for comparison. The degree of stabilization (and the lack of it) varied across stimuli and across individuals. Our results indicate, against common expectation, that the stabilization phenomenon cannot be generally evoked by intermittent presentation. We argue that top-down feedback factors such as familiarity, semantics, expectation, and perceptual bias contribute to the complex processes underlying the temporal dynamics of bi-stable figure-ground perception.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, Box 3711, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kogo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, Box 3711, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Lore
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, Box 3711, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stuer
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, Box 3711, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium; Donders Institute, Radboud University, Department of Biophysics, Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Philips Research Laboratories, Department of Brain, Body & Behavior, Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Ee
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Tiensestraat 102, Box 3711, BE-3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wagemans
mesh_terms: D025461:Feedback, Physiological / Q000502:physiology*; D005556:Form Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors
keywords: Bi-stable perception; Bias; Border-ownership; Feedback; Figure–ground perception; Intermittent presentation