The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability
Artwork can often pique the interest of the viewer or listener as a result of the ambiguity or instability contained within it. Our engagement with uncertain sensory experiences might have its origins in early cortical responses, in that perceptually unstable stimuli might preclude neural habituatio...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2011-08-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2011.00073/full |
| _version_ | 1818206048745422848 |
|---|---|
| author | Ben eDyson |
| author_facet | Ben eDyson |
| author_sort | Ben eDyson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Artwork can often pique the interest of the viewer or listener as a result of the ambiguity or instability contained within it. Our engagement with uncertain sensory experiences might have its origins in early cortical responses, in that perceptually unstable stimuli might preclude neural habituation and maintain activity in early sensory areas. To assess this idea, participants engaged with an ambiguous visual stimulus wherein two squares alternated with one another, in terms of simultaneously opposing vertical and horizontal locations relative to fixation (i.e., stroboscopic alternating motion; von Schiller, 1933). At each trial, participants were invited to interpret the movement of the squares in one of five ways: traditional vertical or horizontal motion, novel clockwise or counter-clockwise motion, and, a free-view condition in which participants were encouraged to switch the direction of motion as often as possible. Behavioral reports of perceptual stability showed clockwise and counter-clockwise motion to possess an intermediate level of stability compared to relatively stable vertical and horizontal motion, and, relatively unstable motion perceived during free-view conditions. Early visual evoked components recorded at parietal-occipital sites such as C1, P1 and N1 modulated as a function of visual intention. Both at a group and individual level, increased perceptual instability was related to increased negativity in all three of these early visual neural responses. Engagement with increasingly ambiguous input may partly result from the underlying exaggerated neural response to it. The study underscores the utility of combining neuroelectric recording with the presentation of perceptually multi-stable yet physically identical stimuli, in revealing brain activity associated with the purely internal process of interpreting and appreciating the sensory world that surrounds us. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:06:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-26479da9a76549e2af7b39571e525125 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1662-5161 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T04:06:50Z |
| publishDate | 2011-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Human Neuroscience |
| spelling | doaj.art-26479da9a76549e2af7b39571e5251252022-12-22T00:38:44ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Human Neuroscience1662-51612011-08-01510.3389/fnhum.2011.0007310276The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instabilityBen eDyson0Ryerson UniversityArtwork can often pique the interest of the viewer or listener as a result of the ambiguity or instability contained within it. Our engagement with uncertain sensory experiences might have its origins in early cortical responses, in that perceptually unstable stimuli might preclude neural habituation and maintain activity in early sensory areas. To assess this idea, participants engaged with an ambiguous visual stimulus wherein two squares alternated with one another, in terms of simultaneously opposing vertical and horizontal locations relative to fixation (i.e., stroboscopic alternating motion; von Schiller, 1933). At each trial, participants were invited to interpret the movement of the squares in one of five ways: traditional vertical or horizontal motion, novel clockwise or counter-clockwise motion, and, a free-view condition in which participants were encouraged to switch the direction of motion as often as possible. Behavioral reports of perceptual stability showed clockwise and counter-clockwise motion to possess an intermediate level of stability compared to relatively stable vertical and horizontal motion, and, relatively unstable motion perceived during free-view conditions. Early visual evoked components recorded at parietal-occipital sites such as C1, P1 and N1 modulated as a function of visual intention. Both at a group and individual level, increased perceptual instability was related to increased negativity in all three of these early visual neural responses. Engagement with increasingly ambiguous input may partly result from the underlying exaggerated neural response to it. The study underscores the utility of combining neuroelectric recording with the presentation of perceptually multi-stable yet physically identical stimuli, in revealing brain activity associated with the purely internal process of interpreting and appreciating the sensory world that surrounds us.http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2011.00073/fullAmbiguous stimuliAuditory evoked responsesPerceptual intentionPerceptual stabilityVisual evoked responses |
| spellingShingle | Ben eDyson The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability Frontiers in Human Neuroscience Ambiguous stimuli Auditory evoked responses Perceptual intention Perceptual stability Visual evoked responses |
| title | The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| title_full | The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| title_fullStr | The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| title_full_unstemmed | The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| title_short | The advantage of ambiguity? Enhanced neural responses to multi-stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| title_sort | advantage of ambiguity enhanced neural responses to multi stable percepts correlate with the degree of perceived instability |
| topic | Ambiguous stimuli Auditory evoked responses Perceptual intention Perceptual stability Visual evoked responses |
| url | http://journal.frontiersin.org/Journal/10.3389/fnhum.2011.00073/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT benedyson theadvantageofambiguityenhancedneuralresponsestomultistableperceptscorrelatewiththedegreeofperceivedinstability AT benedyson advantageofambiguityenhancedneuralresponsestomultistableperceptscorrelatewiththedegreeofperceivedinstability |