Masking, persistence, and transfer in rotating arcs

We demonstrate that the apparent length of a thin white arc on a black disk, rotating concentrically at 2.5 rps, varies with angular length and exposure duration. While short arcs (9-18 degrees ) gradually expand, long arcs (36-72 degrees ) first undergo a brief contraction, before they also expand. On average, perceived elongation asymptotes after 15 s equivalent to visual persistencies ranging from 68 to 170 ms. Using bi- and tri-colored arcs, we find that the apparent increase in length derives from the rear end of the rotating stimulus, while the initial shrinkage derives from contraction of the middle. After 15 s of adaptation, perceived length of the arc decays to actual stimulus length within an average of 6 s and, upon re-exposure of the arc, reaches its former value after only 5 s (priming). When the rotating arc is presented first to one eye and then to the other, apparent elongation transfers partially (46%), suggesting a contribution by the binocular cells in the visual cortex. A partial transfer (26%) also occurs from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation. When tested interocularly, the directional transfer is more pronounced (47%) and equals the interocular transfer under equidirectional conditions, suggesting that the directional transfer (cw versus ccw) might derive from non-directional cortical units. Whereas the initial contraction may be attributable to backward masking, the observed elongation likely reflects a cumulative build-up of after-discharge in cortical neurons over time.