Facilitation beyond suppression: Enhanced direction discrimination after bidirectional motion adaptation
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: This study investigated the effects of unidirectional and bidirectional motion adaptation on direction discrimination sensitivity using a rotational motion paradigm. Participants adapted to rotating log-spiral stimuli presented in three conditions: clockwise, counterclockwise, or bidirectional (opposing directions simultaneously). Subsequently, they performed a direction discrimination task, judging whether a briefly presented test stimulus rotated clockwise or counterclockwise. Unidirectional adaptation decreased sensitivity and induced a directional bias, consistent with suppressive effects of adaptation and the waterfall motion illusion. In contrast, bidirectional adaptation enhanced direction discrimination sensitivity without inducing directional bias. These results challenge traditional models of motion adaptation that emphasize direction-specific suppression. Instead, they support a dynamic, resource-based perspective where the visual system actively adjusts sensitivity to optimize performance across different motion environments. This study highlights the utility of rotational motion paradigms in probing neural mechanisms underlying motion adaptation and contributes to the development of computational models for perceptual sensitivity and resource allocation.
Source: Vision Research
Authors: Sabrina Karjack, Alexander Yu, Zili Liu
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $2,940
OpenAlex ID: W4413004121