Transilience induced blindness

Abstract

The experiments were conducted on 17 inch monitor at 27cm observation distance. TIB was so robust that the disappearance was fairly independent from visual angle or observation distance. TIB could be observed when the stimuli were at several meters away. TIB would even hold on 30 degree of visual angle targets on the large projector screen. At the upper and lower 14 degree eccentric positions, the 2 yellow (x =0.40, y =0.50, L =192cd) 7 degree radius filled circles were presented for the targets. At the concentric positions the unfilled blue (0.14, 0.08, 13.3) circles with 0.4 degree thickness which changed the diameter smoothly from 22 degree to 18 degree in one second and jumped back to 22 degree. The change repeated indefinitely. The target circles were white (0.33, 0.38, 220). The inducing unfilled circles of 0.1 degree thickness were stationary of 28 degree diameter which altered the luminance smoothly from white to black(0.42cd) in 3 seconds and jump back to white. The smaller the targets, the more easily they disappear. If the luminance of the target and the background were swapped, TIB was difficult to hold. Some other variants of target figures were investigated. The concentric circles or the radial line segments covering the target area disappeared altogether. A slight change of the targets in size, color or position at the transilient moments made TIB impossible.