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How to Create and Use Binocular Rivalry
Published on: November 10, 2010
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Using binocular rivalry to tag foreground sounds: Towards an objective visual measure for auditory multistability
Wolfgang Einhäuser1, Sabine Thomassen2, Alexandra Bendixen2
1Chemnitz University of Technology, Institute of Physics, Physics of Cognition Group, Chemnitz, Germany.
Journal of Vision
|January 28, 2017
Summary
Researchers developed a novel method to track auditory perception using eye movements. Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) successfully decoded which tone sequence was perceived, offering a new tool for studying auditory multistability.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Auditory Perception
- Multistability
Background:
- No-report paradigms allow unobtrusive monitoring of perceptual experience in binocular rivalry.
- Extending such paradigms to auditory multistability is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for continuous, unobtrusive readout of auditory perceptual experience.
- To investigate the potential of using optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) to decode auditory dominance.
Main Methods:
- Participants continuously reported perceived foreground tone sequences (high/low pitch).
- Binocular rivalry was induced using differently colored and moving gratings.
- A vertical jump pattern on gratings associated visual stimuli with auditory sequences.
- Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) direction was measured to decode auditory percept.
Main Results:
- OKN direction reliably decoded the perceived foreground tone sequence above chance.
- Decoding performance improved with auditory task experience and task simplification.
- No evidence was found for visual stimuli influencing auditory multistability.
Conclusions:
- Optokinetic nystagmus (OKN) provides a viable, albeit imperfect, method for decoding auditory percepts in multistable conditions.
- This paradigm offers a potential pathway for continuous estimation of auditory dominance.
- Further refinement may lead to advanced tools for studying auditory perception.
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