Abstract
Different theories purporting to account for the disinhibition effect assume that masking and disinhibition are representative of the same class of phenomenon. This study provided one test of an alternative Gestalt-like hypothesis free of the assumption that disinhibition is a special case of masking. Although the results of this study did not support the hypothesis that Gestalt-like processes account for disinhibition, it was demonstrated that a disinhibition effect can be obtained using patterned stimuli for both targets and masks. A major implication of using patterned stimuli in disinhibition-type research is that it provides a methodology that minimizes or eliminates such extraneous cues as apparent movement, brightness reversals, and Mach bands.
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Bryon, D., Banks, W.P. Patterned stimuli in disinhibition and backward masking. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 15, 105–108 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334480
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334480