 |  | |  | ||
                 | Onset rivalry is independent from sustained binocular rivalry Olivia Carter Vision Lab, Department of Psychology, Harvard UniversityBinocular rivalry refers to the alternations in perceptual awareness that occur when the left and right eyes are presented different images. It has been shown that binocular rivalry can take some time to develop, such that the stimuli will appear fused if presented for less than 150ms (Wolfe, 1983). However, after this initial period of fusion, all subsequent states of perceptual suppression are believed to reflect common neural mechanisms. I will present data suggesting the existence of an onset state of binocular rivalry dominance that is distinct from all subsequent rivalry transitions. Perceptual dominance during this onset period appears to be determined by low-level, spatially localized factors that remain stable over periods of weeks. This data is discussed in respect to more recent findings of perceptual stabilization that occur when the rivalry targets are temporarily removed (Leopold et al 2002) or moved slowly around the retina (Blake et al. 2003). |