Abstract
The dynamics of perceptual bistability, the phenomenon in which perception switches between different interpretations of an unchanging stimulus, are characterised by very similar properties across a wide range of qualitatively different paradigms. This suggests that perceptual switching may be triggered by some common source. However, it is also possible that perceptual switching may arise from a distributed system, whose components vary according to the specifics of the perceptual experiences involved. Here we used a visual and an auditory task to determine whether individuals show cross-modal commonalities in perceptual switching. We found that individual perceptual switching rates were significantly correlated across modalities. We then asked whether perceptual switching arises from some central (modality-) task-independent process or from a more distributed task-specific system. We found that a log-normal distribution best explained the distribution of perceptual phases in both modalities, suggestive of a combined set of independent processes causing perceptual switching. Modality- and/or task-dependent differences in these distributions, and lack of correlation with the modality-independent central factors tested (ego-resiliency, creativity, and executive function), also point towards perceptual switching arising from a distributed system of similar but independent processes.
Publication Date
2018-05-08
Publication Title
Nature Scientific Reports
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
Recommended Citation
Denham, S., Farkas, D., van Ee, R., Taranu, M., & et al. (2018) 'Similar but separate systems underlie perceptual bistability in vision and audition', Nature Scientific Reports, . Springer Science and Business Media LLC: Retrieved from https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/psy-research/820
