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Visual attention and the mechanism of metacontrast

Psychological Research volume 71, pages 626–633 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

The U-shaped metacontrast function may result from the superimposition of two monotonic components which reflect the effects of mechanisms similar to the peripheral and central processes suggested for backward pattern masking by Turvey (Psychol Rev 80:1–52, 1973). In an experiment using the disc-ring paradigm, it was demonstrated that the decreasing and increasing branches of the metacontrast function are differently affected by the exposure duration of the mask and a task-irrelevant stimulus (distractor) appearing in the contralateral visual hemifield. The phenomenal representation of masking is different for the two parts of the curve. It is suggested that masking in the second part of the masking function, but not in the first, is related to the control of visual attention.

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  1. Department of Psychology, Bielefeld University, P.O. Box 10 01 31, 33501, Bielefeld, Germany

    Odmar Neumann & Ingrid Scharlau

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  1. Odmar Neumann
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  2. Ingrid Scharlau
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Correspondence to Odmar Neumann.

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Neumann, O., Scharlau, I. Visual attention and the mechanism of metacontrast. Psychological Research 71, 626–633 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-006-0061-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-006-0061-7

Keywords

  • Stimulus Onset Asynchrony
  • Test Stimulus
  • Visual Attention
  • Temporal Resolution
  • Exposure Duration