Color Can Shorten Breakthrough Times in Continuous Flash Suppression through Increased Salience and Task Relevance

Abstract

Color can enhance the perception of relevant stimuli by increasing their salience and guiding visual search towards stimuli that match a task-relevant color. Using Continuous Flash Suppression (CFS), the current study investigated whether color facilitates the discrimination of targets that are difficult to perceive due to interocular suppression. Gabor patterns of two or four cycles per degree (cpd) were shown as targets to the non-dominant eye of human participants. CFS masks were presented at a rate of 10 Hz to the dominant eye, and participants had the task to report the target’s orientation as soon as they could discriminate it. The 2-cpd targets were robustly suppressed and resulted in much longer response times compared to 4-cpd targets. Moreover, only for 2-cpd targets, two color-related effects were evident. First, in trials where targets and CFS masks had different colors, targets were reported faster than in trials where targets and CFS masks had the same color. Second, targets with a known color, either cyan or yellow, were reported earlier than targets whose color was randomly cyan or yellow. The results suggest that the targets’ entry to consciousness may have been speeded by color-mediated effects relating to increased (bottom-up) salience and (top-down) task relevance.

Feature-based interaction between masks and target in continuous flash suppression

“…In addition, previously little evidence existed regarding the possibility to elicit suppression in CFS with isoluminant stimuli 56 . Our data provides concrete evidence that continuous flash suppression does indeed work to a substantial extent even in the absence of luminance contrast in either mask or target stimuli.…”

Feature-based interaction between masks and target in continuous flash suppression

“…In addition, previously little evidence existed regarding the possibility to elicit suppression in CFS with isoluminant stimuli 55 . Our data provides concrete evidence that continuous ash suppression does indeed work to a substantial extent even in the absence of luminance contrast in either mask or target stimuli.…”