Abstract
Two methods of induction were used to produce orientation-contingent color aftereffects for observers assigned to one of three groups (high, medium, and low) on the basis of self-rated imagery ability. In Experiment 1, observers were required to make magnitude estimates of color aftereffects following inspection of stimulus patterns normally used to produce McCollough effects (e.g., red vertical contours, green horizontal contours). Experiment 2 was a partial replication of Experiment 1, with additional induction conditions in which observers were required to imagine the presence of appropriately oriented contours when particular homogeneous color patches were presented. The results indicated that self-rated imagery ability was not a significant factor in differentiating between observers’ performance when orthodox induction procedures were used (Experiment 1). In addition, there were no reliable indications (Experiment 2) that imagined stimulus attributes can be effectively substituted for real stimulus attributes in order to produce orientation-contingent color aftereffects. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the use of imagery-induced perceptual phenomena as a paradigm for investigating the possibility of common neural mechanisms in perception and imagination; in addition, the general implications of the results for understanding the functional significance of self-reported imagery ability are examined.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anderson, J. R. Arguments concerning representations for mental imagery.Psychological Review, 1978,85, 249–277.
Anstis, S. M. What does visual perception tell us about visual coding? In M. S. Gazzaniga & C. Blakemore (Eds.),Handbook of psychobiology. New York: Academic Press, 1975.
Ashton, R., McFarland, K., Walsh, F., &White, K. Imagery ability and the identification of hands: A chronometric analysis.Acta Psychologica, 1978,42,253–262.
Cooper, L. A., &Shepard, R. N. Mental transformations in the identification of left and right hands.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1975,1, 48–56.
Ernest, E. I. Imagery ability and cognition: A critical review.Journal of Mental Imagery, 1977,2, 181–216.
Finke, R. A., &Kosslyn, S. M. Mental imagery acuity in the peripheral visual field.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1980,6, 126–139.
Finke, R. A., &Schmidt, M. J. Orientation-specific color aftereffects following imagination.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1977,3, 599–606.
Finke, R. A., &Schmidt, M. J. The quantitative measure of pattern representation in images using orientation-specific color aftereffects.Perception & Psychophysics, 1978,23, 515–520.
Gibson, J. J. Adaptation, aftereffect, and contrast in the perception of tilted lines. II. Simultaneous control and the areal restriction of the aftereffect.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1937,20, 553–569.
Gouras, P. Opponent-colour cells in different layers of foveal striate cortex.Journal of Physiology, 1974,2311, 583–602.
Herb, P. O. Concerning imagery.Psychological Review, 1968,75, 466–477.
Hubel, D. H., &Wiesel, T. N. Receptive fields and functional architecture of monkey striate cortex.Journal of Physiology, 1968,195,215–243.
Kosslyn, S. M., &Pomerantz, J. R. Imagery, propositions, and the form of internal representations.Cognitive Psychology, 1977,9, 52–76.
Mackay, D. M., &Mackay, V. Orientation-sensitive after-effects of dichoptically presented colour and form.Nature, 1973,242, 477–479.
McCollough, C. Color adaptation of edge detectors in the human visual system.Science, 1965,149, 1115–1116.
Michael, C. R. Color vision mechanisms in monkey striate cortex: Simple cells with dual opponent color receptive fields.Journal of Neurophysiology, 1978,41, 1233–1249.
Mitchell, D. B., &Richman, C. L. Confirmed reservations: Mental travel.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1980,6, 58–66.
Over, R. Contingent aftereffects in the perception of colour and contour. In R. H. Day & G. V. Stanley (Eds.),Studies in perception. Perth: University of Western Australia Press, 1977.
Oven, R., &Broerse, J. Imagined lines fail to induce contour masking.Psychonomic Science, 1972,29, 203–204.
Podgorny, P., &Shepard, R. N. Functional representations common to visual perception and imagination.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1978,4, 21–35.
Potts, M. J., &Harris, J. P. Dichoptic induction of movement aftereffects contingent on color and on orientation.Perception & Psychophysics, 1979,26, 25–31.
Richman, C. L., Mitchell, D. B., &Reznick, J. S. Mental travel: Some reservations.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 1979,5, 13–18.
Scheffé, H. A. A method for judging all contrasts in the analysis of variance.Biometrika, 1953,40, 87–104.
Segal, S. J., &Fusella, V. Influence of imaged pictures and sounds on detection of visual and auditory signals.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1970,83, 458–464.
Segal, S. J., &Fusella, V. Effect of images in six sense modalities on detection of visual signal from noise.Psychonomic Science, 1971,24, 55–56.
Shepard, R. N., &Chipman, S. Second order isomorphism of internal representations: Shapes of states.Cognitive Psychology, 1970,1, 1–17.
Shute, C. C. D.The McCollough effect. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1979.
Singer, G., &Sheehan, P. W. The effect of demand characteristics on the figural aftereffect with real and imaged inducing figures.American Journal of Psychology, 1965,78, 96–101.
Stanley, G., &Hoffman, W. C. Orientation-specific color effects without adaptation.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1976,7, 513–514.
Stromeyer, C. F., III. Form-color aftereffects in human vision. In R. Held, H. Leibowitz, & H.-L. Teuber (Eds.),Handbook of sensory physiology (Vol. 8):Perception. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 1978.
Vidyasagar, T. R. Orientation specific colour adaptation at a binocular site.Nature, 1976,261, 39–40.
White, K., Sheehan, P. W., &Ashton, R. Imagery assessment: A survey of self report measures.Journal of Mental Imagery, 1977,1, 145–170.
White, K. D., Petry, H. M., Riggs, L. A., &Miller, J. Binocular interactions during establishment of McCollough effects.Vision Research, 1978,18, 1201–1215.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Final preparation of this manuscript took place while the second author was on Special Studies Program Leave at the Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, and the assistance of members of this department is gratefully acknowledged.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Broerse, J., Crassini, B. The influence of imagery ability on color aftereffects produced by physically present and imagined induction stimuli. Perception & Psychophysics 28, 560–568 (1980). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198826
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03198826