Abstract
Magnitude estimates of target brightness and clarity were obtained in a metacontrast paradigm as a function of stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA), target and mask duration, and fixation location. Under conditions of backward masking, effects on brightness and clarity were in opposite directions at short SOAs (i.e., judgments reflecting less clarity were accompanied by judgments that indicated increases in target brightness). However, at long SOAs and under conditions of forward masking, estimates of target brightness and clarity moved in the same direction. The results are discussed in the context of the “sustained-transient” theories of visual masking, and it is concluded that, in their present forms, these theories cannot completely handle the data we have reported.
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This research was supported by operating grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (Grant A9937 to Edward M. Brussell and Grant A0678 to Melvin K. Komoda) and by a fellowship from the Quebec Ministry of Education to Stephen R. Stober. This manuscript is based on two papers delivered at the annual meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association, Ottawa, Ontario, June 7, 1978.
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Stober, S.R., Brussell, E.M. & Komoda, M.K. Differential effects of metacontrast on target brightness and clarity. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 12, 433–436 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329729
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329729