Attentional modulation of perceptual stabilization

Kanai, Ryota; Verstraten, Frans A.J · 2006 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3430

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Summary

This study investigates whether perceptual stabilization, a form of perceptual priming dependent on subjective interpretation of ambiguous stimuli, requires active attentional resources. While classical perceptual priming is typically viewed as passive and automatic, occurring without awareness, stabilization involves a gradual build-up of perceptual memory over several seconds. The authors hypothesized that this gradual development implies an active construction of the memory trace, necessitating attention for both encoding and retention. The researchers conducted two experiments with eight observers using phase-shifting Gabor stimuli to induce motion perception. In the first experiment, attention was manipulated during the prime presentation (encoding) by requiring participants to perform a concurrent letter identification task. In the second experiment, the attentional task was performed during the blank interval between the prime and test stimuli (retention). Control conditions included unambiguous motion primes and biased ambiguous primes to ensure that reduced stabilization was not due to an inability to perceive the prime. Results demonstrated that attentional distraction significantly reduced stabilization effects in both encoding and retention phases. During encoding, dual-task performance attenuated sensitization for both ambiguous and unambiguous primes compared to single-task conditions. Crucially, control experiments with biased ambiguous primes showed that participants could still consciously perceive the prime’s direction under dual-task conditions, yet stabilization was drastically reduced. This indicated that the disruption was not caused by a failure to perceive the stimulus but by a lack of attentional resources. Similarly, distraction during the retention interval interfered with the development of sensitization, even though the prime was no longer present on the display. The findings conclude that perceptual stabilization is not a purely passive process but requires active attentional engagement for both the encoding and the subsequent development of the implicit memory trace. The disruption during encoding is attributed to reduced sensory signal strength, while disruption during retention suggests that the implicit memory trace requires attentional resources to fully develop. These results challenge the notion that automatic cognitive processes are independent of attention, suggesting that seemingly effortless perceptual stabilization competes with online perceptual processing for common attentional resources.

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• perceptual processing