Abstract
The reported reversals of a rotating Necker cube, which changes direction of rotation when a perspective reversal occurs, were examined under a number of conditions. These permitted comparisons of reversal rates within viewing periods, across successive viewing periods within an experimental session, and across successive weekly sessions. In addition, observers viewed either one or two rotating cubes simultaneously within each of the various viewing periods. Clear evidence for a learning effect was obtained in the form of significant savings across successive viewing periods and sessions. At the same time, results from the multiple-cube conditions and from the pattern of reversals within individual viewing periods appeared to be more consistent with a process of neural fatigue. A two-stage model of reversible-figure perception is proposed which is characterized by (1) fatiguing with extended viewing of the two sets of neural channels that underlie the two percepts of the reversible figure, and (2) learning, which helps to establish the organization of the cortical channels as well as moderate channel activity via such processes as attention and strategy.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Reference Note
Ginsberg. A. P.Visual information processing based on spatial filters constrained by biological data (Report No. AMRL-TR-78-129, Vols. 1 and 2). Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio: Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory, December 1978.
References
Adams, P. A. The effect of past experience on the perspective reversal of a tridimensional figure.American Journal of Psychology, 1954,67, 708–710.
Adams, P. A., &Haire, M. Structural and conceptual factors in the perception of double-cube figures.American Journal of Psychology, 1958,71, 548–556.
Ammons, R. B. Experiential factors in visual form perception: I. Review and formulation of problems.Journal of Genetic Psychology, 1954,84, 3–25.
Ammons, R. B., Ulrich, P., &Ammons, C. H. Voluntary control of perception of depth in a two-dimensional drawing.Proceedings of the Montana Academy of Sciences, 1959,19, 160–168.
Attneave, F. Multistability in perception.Scientific American, 1971,225, 62–71.
Babich, S., &Standing, L. Satiation effects with reversible figures.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1981,52, 203–210.
Beverley, K. I., &Regan, D. Evidence for the existence of neural mechanisms selectively sensitive to the direction of motion in space.Journal of Physiology (London), 1973,235, 17–29.
Blakemore, C., &Campbell, F. W. On the existence of neurons in the human visual system selectively sensitive to the orientation and size of retinal images.Journal of Physiology (London), 1969,203, 237–260.
Blakemore, C., &Nachmias, J. The orientation specificity of two visual after-effects.Journal of Physiology (London), 1971,213, 157–174.
Blakemore, C., &Sutton, P. Size adaptation: A new aftereffect.Science, 1969,166, 245–247.
Braddick, O., Campbell, F. W., &Atkinson, J. Channels in vision: Basic aspects. In R. Held, H. W. Leibowitz, & H. L. Teber (Eds.),Handbook of Sensory Physiology (Vol. 8):Perception. Berlin: Springer, 1978.
Boring, E. G.Sensation and perception in the history of experimental psychology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1942.
Brown, K. T. Rate of apparent change in a dynamic ambiguous figure as a function of observation time.American Journal of Psychology, 1955,68, 358–371.
Campbell, F. W., &Robson, J. G. Application of Fourier analysis to the visibility of gratings.Journal of Physiology (London), 1968,197, 551–566.
Carlson, V. R. Satiation in a reversible figure.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1953,45, 442–448.
Chase, W., &Smith, R. Spatial frequency channels tuned for depth and motion.Vision Research, 1981,21, 621–625.
Cohen, L. Rate of apparent change of a Necker cube as a function of prior stimulation.American Journal of Psychology, 1959,72, 327–344.
Ellis, S. R., Wong, J. H., &Stark, L. Absence of accommodation during perceptual reversal of Necker cubes.Vision Research, 1979,19, 953–955.
Favreau, O. E. Persistence of simple and contingent motion aftereffects.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,26, 187–194.
Flamm, L. E., &Bergum, B. O. Reversible perspective figures and eye-movements.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1977,44, 1015–1019.
Frome, F., Harris, C. S., &Levinson, J. Z. Extremely long lasting shifts in perception of size after adaptation to gratings.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1975,6, 433. (Abstract)
Girgus, J. J., Rock, L., &Egatz, R. The effect of knowledge of reversibility on the reversibility of ambiguous figures.Perception & Psychophysics, 1977,22, 550–556.
Gregory, R. L. Choosing a paradigm for perception. In E. C. Carterette & M. P. Friedman (Eds.),Handbook of perception (Vol. 1):Historical and philosophical roots of perception. New York: Academic Press, 1974.
Hansel, C. E. M., &Mahmud, S. H. Comparable retention times for the negative colour afterimage and the McCollough effect.Vision Research, 1978,18, 1601–1605.
Harris, J. P. The Schroder staircase: A new perspective.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,26, 312–318.
Harris, J. P. How does adaptation to disparity affect the perception of reversible figures.American Journal of Psychology, 1980,93, 445–457.
Hebb, D. O.Organization of behavior. New York: Wiley, 1949.
Hochberg, J. Figure-ground reversal as a function of visual satiation.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1950,40, 682–686.
Howard, I. P. An investigation of a satiation process in reversible perspective of revolving skeletal shapes.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1961,13, 19–33.
Kohler, W.Dynamics in psychology. New York: Grove Press, 1960.
Kohler, W., &Wallach, H. Figural aftereffects, an investigation of visual processes.Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 1944,88, 269–357.
Levinson, E., &Sekuler, R. A two-dimensional analysis of direction-specific adaptation.Vision Research, 1980,20, 103–108.
Long, G. M., &Toppino, T. C. Multiple representation of the same reversible figure: Implications for cognitive decisional interpretations.Perception, 1981,10, 231–234.
Maffei, L. Spatial frequency channels: Neural mechanisms. In R. Held, H. W. Weibowitz, & H. L. Teuber (Eds.),Handbook of sensory physiology (Vol. 8):Perception. Berlin: Springer, 1978.
Mefferd, R. B., Jr.,Wieland, B. A., Greenstein, D. G., &Leppman, P. K. Effects of pretraining and instructions on validity of perceptual reports by inexperienced observers.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1968,27, 1003–1006.
Olson, R., &Orbach, J. Reversibility of the Necker cube: VIII. Parts of the figure contributing to the perception of reversals.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1966,22, 623–629.
Orbach, J., Ehrlich, D., &Heath, H. A. Reversibility of the Necker cube: I. An examination of the concept of “satiation of orientation.”Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1963,17, 439–458.
Palmer, S. E., &Bucher, N. M. Configural effects on perceived pointing of ambiguous triangles.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1981,7, 88–114.
Petersik, J. T., Beverley, K. I., &Regan, D. Contrast sensitivity of the changing-size channel.Vision Research, 1981,21, 829–832.
Pelton, L. H., &Solley, C. M. Acceleration of reversals of a Necker cube.American Journal of Psychology, 1968,81, 585–588.
Pheiffer, C. H., Eure, S. B., &Hamilton, C. B. Reversible figures and eye-movements.American Journal of Psychology, 1956,69, 452–455.
Price, J. R. Effect of extended observation on reversible perspective duration.Psychonomic Science, 1969,16, 75–76. (a)
Price, J. R. Studies of reversible perspective: A methodological review.Behavior Research Methods & Instrumentation, 1969,1, 102–106. (b)
Pritchard, R. M. Visual illusions as stabilized retinal images.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1958,10, 77–81.
Regan, D. Visual information channeling in normal and disordered vision.Psychological Review, 1982,89, 407–444.
Regan, D., &Beverley, K. I. Illusory motion in depth: Aftereffects of adaptation to changing size.Vision Research, 1978,18, 209–212.
Regan, D., &Beverley, K. I. Binocular and monocular stimuli for motion in depth: Changing-disparity and changing-size feed the same motion-in-depth stage.Vision Research, 1979,19, 1331–1342.
Regan, D., &Cynader, M. Neurons in area 18 of cat visual cortex selectively sensitive to changing size: Nonlinear interactions between the response to two edges.Vision Research, 1979,19, 688–711.
Rock, I.An introduction to perception. New York: Macmillan, 1975.
Sadler, T. G., &Mefferd, R. B. Fluctuations of perceptual organization and orientation.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1970,31, 739–749.
Schumer, R., &Ganz, L. Independent stereoscopic channels for different extents of spatial pooling.Vision Research, 1979,19, 1303–1314.
Spitz, H. H., &Lipman, R. S. Some factors affecting Necker cube reversal rate.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1962,15, 611–625.
Thetford, P. E. Influence of massing and spacing on Necker cube reversals.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1963,16, 215–222.
Titchener, E. B.Experimental psychology (Vol. 2):Quantitative. New York: Macmillan, 1905.
Vicholskovska, A. Illusions of reversible perspective.Psychological Review, 1906,13, 276–290.
Vickers, D. A cyclic decision model of perceptual alternation.Perception, 1972,1, 31–48.
Virsu, V. Determination of perspective reversals.Nature, 1975,257, 786–787.
Wieland, B. A., &Mefferd, R. B., Jr. Effects of orientation, inclination, and length of diagonal on reversal rate of Necker cube.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1966,23, 823–826.
Wieland, B. A., &Mefferd, R. B., Jr. Individual differences in Necker cube reversal rates and perspective dominance.Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1967,24, 923–930.
Winer, B. J.Statistical principles in experimental design. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This article is adapted from the third author’s Master’s thesis at Villanova University.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Long, G.M., Toppino, T.C. & Kostenbauder, J.F. As the cube turns: Evidence for two processes in the perception of a dynamic reversible figure. Perception & Psychophysics 34, 29–38 (1983). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205893
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205893