Cite as:
Naber M, Carter O, Verstraten F A J, 2007, "Propagation of suppression waves" Perception 36 ECVP Abstract Supplement

Propagation of suppression waves

M Naber, O Carter, F A J Verstraten

We use binocular rivalry (BR) and generalized flash suppression (GFS) to investigate the propagation of traveling suppression waves. We report several new properties of suppression waves. First, we observed a strong relationship between the speed of suppression waves and the strength of the induction stimulus. For example, increasing dot density, a measure of strength in GFS, decreased the latency of the suppression wave. In BR, we found increasing the strength (ie contrast) of the induction pulse increased the speed of the traveling wave. Second, the waves of suppression tended to decelerate as a function of distance from the inducer. Our experiments, thus far, indicate that suppression waves are similar in many respects to waves in the physical world. Moreover, we also suggest that the well-described physical properties of waves may offer important theoretical insights into the dynamic transitions in conscious vision.

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