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Unmasking the perky effect: spatial extent of image interference on visual acuity
Adam Reeves1, Catherine Craver-Lemley
1Department of Psychology, Northeastern University Boston, MA, USA.
Frontiers in Psychology
|August 23, 2012
Summary
Visual mental images and percepts show similar spatial interference when contrast is matched, supporting the suppression hypothesis for image formation. Further research explored this using unmasking techniques.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Previous research suggested visual mental images and percepts are not substitutable due to differing interference patterns.
- The Perky effect, or imagery interference, was thought to have wider temporal and spatial extents than visual masking.
- This difference was theoretically significant as both are visual, not optical or high-level cognitive factors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-evaluate the spatial extents of interference between visual mental images and percepts.
- To investigate if matched contrast levels alter the perceived spatial similarity of interference effects.
- To further test the visual suppression hypothesis of mental image creation.
Main Methods:
- Comparing the spatial extents of interference from visual mental images and real line stimuli.
- Matching the contrast levels of mental images and visual stimuli, a factor not previously controlled.
- Employing 'unmasking' techniques by adding elements outside the suppression zone to reduce the Perky effect.
Main Results:
- When contrast is matched, the spatial extents of interference from mental images and real lines are very similar.
- This finding supports the view that spatial properties of images and percepts are alike in extent.
- Wider temporal extent and orientation insensitivity of image interference remain consistent with prior findings.
Conclusions:
- The spatial similarity in interference, alongside temporal and orientation differences, supports the hypothesis that visual signal suppression is necessary for clear mental image formation.
- The Perky effect and visual masking share more similarities than previously assumed under controlled contrast conditions.
- Unmasking experiments provide further evidence for the visual suppression mechanism in mental imagery.
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