Perceptual stability and the selective adaptation of perceived and unperceived motion directions

Adaptation was studied in a paradigm in which the adapting stimulus was a variably biased version of a bistable apparent motion stimulus, a motion quartet, and the post-adaptation test stimulus was a "neutral" motion quartet. Either horizontal or vertical motion was perceived, never both at the same time. When only one of these was perceived during the entire adaptation phase of a trial, and the perceived motion was highly stable, adaptation effects were greater for the perceived than the unperceived motion directions (i.e., adaptation was selective to the perceived motion). However, when the perceived motion during adaptation was relatively unstable (i.e., when the perceived motion was more likely to spontaneously change directions), similar levels of adaptation were obtained for perceived as well as unperceived, but possible motion directions. Thus, adaptation occurs prior to the determination of which of the competing motion directions will be perceived. The relationship between the stability of the adapting percept and the selectivity of adaptation is explained in terms of differences in the activation of mutually inhibitory horizontal and vertical motion detectors.