Day 79 of 150 Speed Difficulty 8/10
A trailing mask can erase a flashed image from awareness
Quick answer
A trailing mask can erase a flashed image from awareness. Today's question (Visual backward masking) asks about a finding from Breitmeyer, B. G., & Ögmen, H. in 2000. The correct option is Backward masking — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
A briefly flashed target is followed within ~50–100 ms by a high-contrast pattern at the same location. The target then becomes invisible. This phenomenon is called:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: B — Backward masking
Backward masking refers to the disruption of a target stimulus's perception by a second stimulus (the mask) that appears shortly afterwards. With short target-to-mask intervals (~50–100 ms), the target can become entirely invisible even though it physically reached the retina. Breitmeyer & Ogmen (2000) reviewed evidence that masking interrupts the slower re-entrant feedback that consolidates conscious perception, while feedforward processing (sufficient for some unconscious priming) survives. Backward masking is a foundational tool in consciousness research, used to dissociate sensory registration from conscious access.
About the source
Breitmeyer, B. G., & Ögmen, H. (2000). Recent models and findings in visual backward masking: A comparison, review, and update. Perception & Psychophysics, 62(8), 1572–1595.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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