TY - JOUR
T1 - Competing for Consciousness
T2 - Prolonged Mask Exposure Reduces Object Substitution Masking
AU - Goodhew, Stephanie C.
AU - Visser, Troy A.W.
AU - Lipp, Ottmar V.
AU - Dux, Paul E.
PY - 2011/4
Y1 - 2011/4
N2 - In object substitution masking (OSM) a sparse, temporally trailing 4-dot mask impairs target identification, even though it has different contours from, and does not spatially overlap with the target. Here, we demonstrate a previously unknown characteristic of OSM: Observers show reduced masking at prolonged (e.g., 640 ms) relative to intermediate mask durations (e.g., 240 ms). We propose that with prolonged exposure, the mask's visual representation is consolidated, which allows processing of the lingering target icon to be reinitiated, thereby improving performance. Our findings suggest that when the visual system is confronted with 2 temporally contiguous stimuli, although one may initially gain access to consciousness above the other, the "losing" stimulus is not irreversibly lost to awareness.
AB - In object substitution masking (OSM) a sparse, temporally trailing 4-dot mask impairs target identification, even though it has different contours from, and does not spatially overlap with the target. Here, we demonstrate a previously unknown characteristic of OSM: Observers show reduced masking at prolonged (e.g., 640 ms) relative to intermediate mask durations (e.g., 240 ms). We propose that with prolonged exposure, the mask's visual representation is consolidated, which allows processing of the lingering target icon to be reinitiated, thereby improving performance. Our findings suggest that when the visual system is confronted with 2 temporally contiguous stimuli, although one may initially gain access to consciousness above the other, the "losing" stimulus is not irreversibly lost to awareness.
KW - Attention
KW - Consciousness
KW - Object substitution masking
KW - Re-entrant processing
KW - Visual masking
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79954466442&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1037/a0018740
DO - 10.1037/a0018740
M3 - Article
SN - 0096-1523
VL - 37
SP - 588
EP - 596
JO - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
JF - Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
IS - 2
ER -