Simulating bistable perception with interrupted ambiguous stimulus using self-oscillator dynamics with percept choice...

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Dynamical systems theory
• Neuroscience

Background:

• Perceptual ambiguity can lead to spontaneous shifts in perception (percept reversals).
• Dynamical systems and coordination dynamics offer frameworks for understanding cognitive and brain processes.
• Gestalt psychology provides context for perceptual organization and subjective experience.

Purpose of the Study:

• To simulate and analyze percept reversals induced by ambiguous stimuli using a novel behavioral model.
• To investigate the role of stimulus ambiguity and attention in perceptual dynamics.
• To connect macroscopic brain dynamics (EEG) with cognitive phenomena like cognitive inertia.

Main Methods:

• Developed a behavioral stochastic self-oscillator model based on coupled nonlinear equations.
• Utilized a simplified field theoretical approach and phase synchronization principles.
• Incorporated a stochastic Langevin force term to model attention dynamics.
• Analyzed simulated time series for percept reversal rates and quantified cognitive inertia.

Main Results:

• The model successfully simulates interrupted ambiguous stimulus-induced percept reversals.
• A maximum percept reversal rate was predicted, aligning with existing literature.
• Ambiguity control, related to EEG field coherence, influences bistable dynamics.
• Attention fatigue and stimulus onset dynamics were shown to drive quasiperiodic percept reversals.

Conclusions:

• The findings support a dynamical systems foundation for cognitive and psychological phenomena.
• The model provides a quantitative account of cognitive inertia and attention's role in perception.
• Phase synchronization and stochastic forces are crucial for explaining brain dynamics at the macroscopic EEG level.