title: Individually different weighting of multiple processes underlies effects of metacontrast masking.
abstract: Metacontrast masking occurs when a mask follows a target stimulus in close spatial proximity. Target visibility varies with stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between target and mask in individually different ways leading to different masking functions with corresponding phenomenological reports. We used individual differences to determine the processes that underlie metacontrast masking. We assessed individual masking functions in a masked target discrimination task using different masking conditions and applied factor-analytical techniques on measures of sensitivity. Results yielded two latent variables that (1) contribute to performance with short and long SOA, respectively, (2) relate to specific stimulus features, and (3) differentially correlate with specific subjective percepts. We propose that each latent variable reflects a specific process. Two additional processes may contribute to performance with short and long SOAs, respectively. Discrimination performance in metacontrast masking results from individually different weightings of two to four processes, each of which contributes to specific subjective percepts.
authors.affiliation: Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany. Electronic address: thorsten.albrecht@biologie.uni-goettingen.de.
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Albrecht
authors.affiliation: Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Mattler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003243:Consciousness / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010470:Perceptual Masking; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Consciousness; Criterion content; Cue weighting; Individual differences in metacontrast masking; Two-process models