Key Note 11A Selection in binocular rivalry – This note aims to describe one aspect of the sensitivity of the visual system to the statistics of natural scenes. As we shall see in Chapter 14, when two very different images are presented, one to each eye, first one image is perceived, then the other, in alternation, an effect known as binocular rivalry. One question is: how much perceptual analysis occurs in the selection process? It might be that purely physical characteristics govern which image captures awareness. For example, the pattern with higher contrast or velocity might be perceived for longer than that with lower contrast or velocity. It turns out that selection is more sophisticated than this. Baker and Graf (2009) generated patterns of random texture, some of which obeyed the 1/f law, whereas others did not. In a binocular rivalry study, the 1/f patterns captured awareness for longer than the other patterns, suggesting that the spatial statistics of a pattern are used to predict its likely behavioural relevance, and to select it for perceptual processing Baker DH, Graf EW (2009) Natural images dominate in binocular rivalry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(13): 5436-5441
Key Note 11A – Selection in binocular rivalry This note aims to describe one aspect of the sensitivity of the visual system to the statistics of natural scenes. As we shall see in Chapter 14, when two very different images are presented, one to each eye, first one image is perceived, then the other, in alternation, an effect known as binocular rivalry. One question is: how much perceptual analysis occurs in the selection process? It might be that purely physical characteristics govern which image captures awareness. For example, the pattern with higher contrast or velocity might be perceived for longer than that with lower contrast or velocity. It turns out that selection is more sophisticated than this. Baker and Graf (2009) generated patterns of random texture, some of which obeyed the 1/f law, whereas others did not. In a binocular rivalry study, the 1/f patterns captured awareness for longer than the other patterns, suggesting that the spatial statistics of a pattern are used to predict its likely behavioural relevance, and to select it for perceptual processing Baker DH, Graf EW (2009) Natural images dominate in binocular rivalry. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(13): 5436-5441