Using ambiguous plaid stimuli to investigate the influence of immediate prior experience on perception

Abstract

In a series of three experiments, we used an ambiguous plaid motion stimulus to explore the behavioral and electrophysiological effects of prior stimulus exposures and perceptual states on current awareness. The results showed that prior exposure to a stimulus biased toward one percept led to subsequent suppression of that percept. In contrast, in the absence of stimulus bias, prior perceptual experience can have a facilitative influence. The suppressive effects caused by the prior stimulus were found to transfer to an ambiguous plaid test stimulus rotated 180o relative to the adaptation stimulus, but were abolished if (1) the ambiguous test stimulus was only rotated 90o relative to the adap..