Binocular Rivalry Task
Objective: To study extra-receptive field contextual modulation in area V1 of awake, behaving macaque monkeys and determine correlation between neural contextual modulation and perceptual experience using binocularly rivalrous texture displays
Protocol Steps
Stimulus presentation with constant RF texture
Present texture displays where the texture covering the receptive field remains identical across all trials
Note: RF texture is held constant while extra-RF context varies
View evidence from paper
“texture covering the receptive field (RF) was the same in all trials”
Vary perceptual context with extra-RF texture elements
Manipulate the configuration of texture elements outside the receptive field to create different perceptual contexts while maintaining constant RF texture
Note: Context variation achieved through disparity, color, luminance, and orientation cues
View evidence from paper
“the perceptual context of this texture could vary depending on the configuration of extra-RF texture elements”
Present binocularly rivalrous texture displays
Display texture stimuli that create binocular rivalry to assess correlation between neural contextual modulation and perceptual experience
Note: Used to determine if contextual modulation correlates with perceptual experience
View evidence from paper
“Contextual modulation correlated with perceptual experience of both binocularly rivalrous texture displays”
Present surface occlusion displays
Display stimuli demonstrating simple surface occlusion to assess contextual modulation correlation with perceptual experience
Note: Simple example of surface occlusion used as comparison stimulus
View evidence from paper
“displays with a simple example of surface occlusion”
Record single-unit neural activity
Record neural responses from V1 neurons during stimulus presentation in awake, behaving animals
Note: Recordings obtained during presentation of all stimulus conditions
View evidence from paper
“We studied extra-receptive field contextual modulation in area V1 of awake, behaving macaque monkeys”
Measure contextual modulation latency
Determine the temporal characteristics of contextual modulation effects following stimulus onset
Note: Characteristic latency suggests feedback from extrastriate areas
View evidence from paper
“contextual modulation in V1 to have a characteristic latency of 80–100 msec after stimulus onset”