Abstract
Previous research has shown that the apparent motion of a sine-wave grating can be captured by the apparent motion of a second grating with a lower spatial frequency. The present experiments demonstrate that similar capture phenomena can be observed with gratings displaced in real movement. Two gratings that drifted in opposite directions were presented, one of which had constant spatial and temporal frequency and contrast. The subject adjusted the contrast of the second grating until its motion caused the apparent direction of the standard grating to reverse. Four experiments showed that the contrast at which reversal occurred was a minimum when the spatial frequency of the capturing grating was lower than that of the standard and when its temporal frequency was higher than that of the standard. High temporal frequencies of the standard also facilitated capture. It is suggested that capture represents a high-order perceptual strategy.
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Petersik, J.T. Motion-capture-like phenomena produced with oppositely drifting gratings. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 27, 337–339 (1989). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334620
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334620