Interactions between Binocular Rivalry and Gestalt Formation

A question raised a long time ago in binocular rivalry research is whether the phenomenon of binocular rivalry is purely determined by local stimulus properties or that global stimulus properties also play a role. More specifically: do coherent features in a stimulus influence rivalrous behavior? After decades of underexposure of the subject, recently this question seemed to be answered in the affirmative. This paper presents additional evidence for an influence of coherent features. In an experiment in which aimed eye movements cannot bias conclusions it is demonstrated that Gestalt formation influences binocular rivalry positively, i.e., stronger Gestalts have longer total dominance times. New is that Gestalt formation appears to intervene in the states of dominance (“what”), not directly in the dominance intervals (“how long”). This evokes a conjecture about the nature of interactions between binocular rivalry and Gestalt formation. Gestalt formation seems to be fed by signals that are generated after binocular convergence and only leaves its mark on binocular rivalry by feedback to monocular channels