Motion rivalry impairs motion repulsion
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Updated: Aug 19, 2026

A Simple Non-invasive Method for Temporary Knockdown of Upper Limb Proprioception
Published on: March 3, 2018
1Center for Neurobiology & Behavior, and Department of Physiology & Cellular Biophysics, Columbia University, PI Annex Room 730, 722 W, 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Abstract:
In their classic study on motion repulsion, Marshak and Sekuler (Science 205 (1979) 1399) reported a repulsion of up to 10 degrees when two different directions of motion were presented dichoptically. However, subjects in that study did not experience binocular rivalry, presumably because of the brief presentation time. In the present study, we measured repulsion during binocular rivalry by requiring subjects to dichoptically view the stimuli until one direction of motion appeared to exclusively dominate the other (Blake, Yu, Lokey, & Norman (1998). J. Cogn. Neurosci., 10, 46-60). We found that motion repulsion was significantly reduced during exclusive dominance. Indeed, after controlling for reference repulsion--the misjudgment of a single direction of motion (Rauber & Treue (1998). Perception, 27, 393-402)--we found no significant motion repulsion during exclusive dominance. These data suggest that motion repulsion may require the perception, rather than merely the physical presence, of multiple directions.
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