title: Transparent surface segregation enables visual feature binding in rapidly alternating displays.
abstract: Visual feature binding-the mechanism by which our typically coherent and unified perceptual experience arises from distributed neural representations-is the source of much intrigue in the neuroscience of perception. Surprisingly, feature binding can occur in rapidly alternating displays of color-orientation combinations (e.g., rightward-orange, leftward-blue). However, we found that when the angular separation between orientations is reduced, binding is selectively impaired at temporal alternation frequencies around 5 Hz. To isolate the mechanisms involved, we devised a novel display in which color-orientation conjunction information was distributed temporally over two checkered stimuli and was perceptually discriminable only within an intermediate range of temporal frequencies (7.5-15 Hz). We propose that accurate color-orientation judgments at frequencies exceeding 5 Hz depend on the rapid formation of persistent surface representations that can be accessed by binding mechanisms, circumventing the latter's relatively low temporal resolution.
authors.forename: Gabriel J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Vigano
authors.forename: Ryan T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.forename: Colin W G
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Clifford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005366:Figural Aftereffect / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009039:Motion Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult