Spiral aftereffect and the time interval between successive stimulations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was (1) to test whether or not a theoretical model is capable of handling the data generated by this experiment, and, more broadly, whether the present model is tenable; (2) to narrow down the several possible interpretations of a previous study of the effect of speed of rotation upon aftereffect. The viewing of a rotating spiral gives rise to an aftereffect of motion. The model used herein took as its starting point the fact that one retinal element is stimulated before some other nearby retinal element during the inspection period in movement aftereffect studies. By means of transforming this difference in time of stimulation into a difference in amount of excitation in two different firing elements, the model generated a number of predictions which are in accord with the experimental data in the literature. The model was then applied to the problem of the present study. The model predicted that holding the (time) interval between stimulations constant would produce constant aftereffect, and that varying the length of the interval would produce variations in aftereffect [TRUNCATED]