Global orientation aftereffect in multi-attribute displays: implications for the binding problem

We investigated the binding problem (e.g. the combination of edge information across attributes), using an orientation aftereffect paradigm (OAE). Horizontal layers of vertical edges were phase-shifted to create a global near-vertical orientation. Multi-attribute displays were created by alternating the attribute defining edges (e.g. luminance, colour, texture or motion) across layers. OAE magnitude was dependent only on the attributes used in the adaptation phase, and the similarity of attributes from adaptation to testing phase had no significant effect. Moreover, compared to single-attribute conditions, the cooperation between attributes is moderate. These results favour segregation models of the binding mechanism.