The Constitution of Visual Consciousness

Lessons from Binocular Rivalry

Edited by Steven M. Miller

Color version of the figures.

Visual consciousness and binocular rivalry

4 Steven M.M.
Steven Miller
Miller

Figure 1. Conventional binocular rivalry. To view these gratings dichoptically (i.e.,

one to each eye), stand the stereoscopic viewer support panel in the center between
the stimuli with the book face flat and level. Look directly down the viewer with both
eyes and slowly move closer towards the lens panel until the black border around both
gratings are fused. These alignment cues will help to determine your optimal viewing
position for inducing reliable rivalry. Look through the left lens only to see the vertical
grating, followed by the right lens only to see the horizontal grating, and then look with
both eyes to observe the ensuing perceptual alternations. Note the periods of exclusive
rivalry (i.e., only one image is visible); the rate of alternation between the two exclusive
images; the predominance of one exclusive image over the other; periods of mixed,
superimposed or unusual percepts; and the different types of transitions from one
percept to the other.

DOI 10.1075/aicr.90.additional
© 2013 John Benjamins Publishing Company
both eyes to observe the ensuing perceptual alternations. Note the periods of exclusive
rivalry (i.e., only one image is visible); the rate of alternation between the two exclusive
images; the predominance of one exclusive image over the other; periods of mixed,
superimposed or unusual percepts; and the different types of transitions from one
Figures
percept to the other.

Figure 2. Interocular-grouping (or multistable) binocular rivalry. In contrast to

conventional binocular rivalry (Figure 1) where there is rivalry mainly between two
conflicting images, these presented stimuli yield mainly four alternate percepts. Reported
in 1928 by Emilio Díaz-Caneja (Annales D’Oculistique, 165: 721–731), these stimuli
show that observers not only perceive either of the presented images but also two other
percepts comprised of elements from both eyes’ images. Using the stereoscopic viewer
as described above, these latter coherent percepts can be seen as either concentric circles
or full horizontal lines, and demonstrate the brain’s perceptual reorganization ability and
Visual consciousness and binocular rivalry 5
the constructive nature of visual perception during rivalry.

Figure 3. Binocular rivalry between complex images. Binocular rivalry can also readily
occur between more complex images (commonly comprising house and face stimuli)
than the line stimuli in Figure 1 and 2 above. The example shown here is of a macaque
monkey image (left), which represents electrophysiological evidence for a high-level
resolution of binocular rivalry, and an ocular dominance map from V1 (right; also
from a macaque), which represents the low-level monocular channel competition
model of the phenomenon. The perceptual alternations between these images not only
demonstrate rivalry between complex stimuli, but also reflect rivaling high- and low-level
interpretations of the phenomenon that have characterized its investigation. (Reprinted by
permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: Nat Rev Neurosci, Blake & Logothetis,
3: 1–11, copyright 2002; Nature, Blasdel & Salama, 321: 579–585, copyright 1986.)

images in each eye are not incongruent, but rather involve ambiguous perspec-
tives or interpretations. Many types of perceptual rivalry have now been reported
and studied. Ambiguous images date to at least 300 B.C. (e.g., Euclid’s reversible
 Visual consciousness and binocular rivalry 7
Figures

Figure 5. Early examples of ambiguous-figure rivalry. On the top left is a 5th or 6th
Century Roman mosaic consisting of multiple connected Necker-like structures, each
comprising three adjoining sides. Each structure can be seen to perceptually alternate
between two depth perspectives, either towards or from the page. The original color
image was kindly provided by Nicholas Wade (see also Wade, 2012, Gestalt Theory,
34: 329–347). On the right is a 17th Century Islamic naval flag which depicts two face
profiles, with the central vase-like image being an inverted representation of an Ottoman
mosque (reprinted from Pion Ltd: Piccolino & Wade, 2006, Perception, 35: 1003–1006;
original image provided by Nicholas Wade). On the bottom left, a close-up of the top of
the flag shows the eyes of each profile are either side of the leaves, while the nose of each
face forms the base of the vase and the mouths are closest to the central star.

a subject’s visual trajectory in a manner that is not readily possible during natu-
ral viewing of visual scenes. With this capacity to reliably track dynamic visual
trajectories, the path is open for investigators to seek correlations between neural
processes and (rivaling) visual states. This path is also aided by the visual system
being the best characterized and understood of all brain systems.
However, simply presenting physically alternating visual stimuli to a subject
under normal viewing conditions, and thus mimicking the perceptions during
binocular rivalry, would do exactly the same thing – provide a readily trackable
and controlled visual trajectory with which to seek neural activity correlations.
Binocular rivalry offers more than this. As is widely heralded in the literature, the
phenomenon, and indeed all perceptual rivalry phenomena, offers the opportunity
Figures

Early views on binocular rivalry

Nicholas J. Wade and Trung T. Ngo Early views on binocular rivalry 85

a.

b.

c.

d.

Figure 4. Color stimuli used by Towne to study corresponding retinal areas during bin-
ocular rivalry. (a) The two discs are “so arranged that the different colours fall upon cor-
responding parts of the two retinæ; red and black harmonize, and the two co-mingle” while
in (b), “[t]hese colours do not harmonize; the result is antagonism of the two impres-
sions, and that the colours do not mingle” (figures reprinted from Towne, 1863, Plate II).
(c) “These are figures of stars in which identical points of the retinæ are simultaneously
submitted to harmonic colours. The blending of the two colours may be observed by
comparing the spots that form the star with the larger spot, which, when viewed in the
stereoscope, appears over the resultant image” (figure reprinted from Towne, 1864; Plate,
Fig. 1). When these stimuli were viewed dichoptically, a single stable star of a black-red
color mixture was observed. In contrast, perceptual alternations occurred with their blue
and yellow counterpart (d), which were not depicted in Towne’s (1864) paper and have
been illustrated here based on (c).