Motion rivalry impairs motion repulsion

Abstract

In their classic study on motion repulsion, Marshak and Sekuler (Science 205 (1979) 1399) reported a repulsion of up to 10° when two different directions of motion were presented dichoptically. However, subjects in that study did not experience binocular rivalry, presumably because of the brief presentation time. In the present study, we measured repulsion during binocular rivalry by requiring subjects to dichoptically view the stimuli until one direction of motion appeared to exclusively dominate the other (Blake, Yu, Lokey, & Norman (1998). J. Cogn. Neurosci., 10, 46–60). We found that motion repulsion was significantly reduced during exclusive dominance. Indeed, after controlling for reference repulsion—the misjudgment of a single direction of motion (Rauber & Treue (1998). Perception, 27, 393–402)—we found no significant motion repulsion during exclusive dominance. These data suggest that motion repulsion may require the perception, rather than merely the physical presence, of multiple directions.