Binocular rivalry

As binocular rivalry (also: binocular rivalry ) the perception change spontaneously occurring are referred to, which always occur if each eye is simultaneously shown another image ( a so-called thee visual presentation ). The resulting phenomena can be roughly described as an irregular change between the two images presented separately describe. Although it frequently comes to mosaic mixtures of the two images, it never comes to a simultaneous perception of two images in the form of diplopia or confusion. This phenomenon is basically an alternating ocular dominance.

Phenomenology

This "competition" between the two eyes to the visual consciousness can not willfully prevent or control and seems to incumbent a random process. These and other shared characteristics suggest that it is a phenomenon of multistable perception.

However, it is possible through practice, to send forth out of the "competition" a clear winner. Experienced user of a monocular microscope can completely suppress the perceptions of the "superfluous " eye for minutes. The squint of the eye is superfluous in contrast, a temporary solution, because it disrupts the perception and the open eye. Even with the meditating monks, it has been found that they can focus on one of the pictures.

Historical Background

Although in the Middle Ages appeared first descriptions of binocular rivalry, one generally dated to the beginning of the scientific study of this phenomenon to the year 1838 in which the British inventor Charles Wheatstone wrote the first written in English demolition. That he invented the stereoscope allows a controllable separate stimulation of both eyes.

Scientific background

The fact that observers in these circumstances only can do one of two images perceived in their eyes, makes this phenomenon for the scientific study of consciousness interesting. By means of imaging techniques such as one can investigate, have a correlated with the perception of change activity which parts of the brain.

To date, the exact brain mechanisms underlying this phenomenon underlying unknown. It is increasingly based on a mechanism distributed over large parts of the brain. Probably the brain processes the unperceived, unconscious images.