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29 - A motion illusion reveals the temporally discrete nature of visual awareness

from Part V - Space–time and awareness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 October 2010

By
Rufin Van Rullen ,
Leila Reddy  and
Christof Koch
Edited by
Romi Nijhawan  and
Beena Khurana
Romi Nijhawan
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
Beena Khurana
Affiliation:
University of Sussex
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Summary

Summary

Quasi-periodic or “discrete” brain processes are, in theory, susceptible to a phenomenon known in engineering as “temporal aliasing.” When the rate of occurrence of events in the world is fast enough, the perceived direction of these events may be reversed. We have recently demonstrated that, because of a quasi-periodic attentional capture of motion information, continuously moving objects are sometimes perceived to move in the wrong direction (the “continuous Wagon Wheel Illusion”). Using a simple Fourier energy model of motion perception, we established that this type of attentional capture occurs at a rate of about 13 Hz. We verified with EEG recordings that the electrophysiological correlates of this illusion are restricted to a specific frequency band around 13 Hz, over right parietal regions – known for their involvement in directing attention to temporal events. We summarize these results and discuss their implications for visual attention and awareness.

Introduction

With respect to the temporal organization of visual perception – the topic of this book – one important issue that has puzzled scientists for more than a century (James 1890; Pitts & McCulloch 1947; Stroud 1956; White 1963; Shallice 1964; Harter 1967; Varela et al. 1981; Purves et al. 1996; Crick & Koch 2003; VanRullen & Koch 2003) is whether our experience relies on a continuous sampling or a discrete sequence of periodic “snapshots” or “perceptual frames” of the external world. Although it may seem that such radically different mechanisms should be easy to distinguish using elementary introspection, the realism of the cinema serves to remind us that these two alternatives can in fact lead to equivalent perceptual outcomes.

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Space and Time in Perception and Action , pp. 521 - 535
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2010

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