Abstract
The present experiment investigated informational content of the masking pattern in backward visual masking. Vertical or horizontal lines were flashed for from 4 – 17 msec. in a tachistoscope and were followed after a dark interval of 15 msec. by a random checkboard pattern presented for 150 msec. The probability of black squares in the checkboard was varied from 0.0 (all white) to 1.0 (all black). Accuracy of report of the orientation of the lines was a U-shaped function of the probability of black in the masking pattern. The similarity of this function to that of the average uncertainty of dichotomous distributions suggested a possible relationship between informational content and amount of masking.
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Fitzgerald, R.E., Kirkham, R. Backward visual masking as a function of average uncertainty of the masking pattern. Psychon Sci 6, 469–470 (1966). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328095
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03328095