bioRxiv · 10.64898/2026.10.01.755975
On-demand surround suppression explains the spatiotemporal window of the tilt illusion
Abstract
What we see at one location depends on what surrounds it. Such contextual e[ff]ects are thought to arise from neural signals that travel across the retinotopic representations.Because these signals need more time to travel longer distances, a more distant surround should influence perception most strongly when presented earlier, compensating for its delay. We tested this prediction in human observers using a visual illusion in which a central target appears tilted away from the orientation of its surround (tilt illusion). Measuring the temporal window of this illusion using psychophysical reverse correlation revealed the opposite: the most e[ff]ective surround occurred progressively later as distance increased. Computational modelling demonstrated that this reversal is explained if the visual system sends out a query that recruits contextual information on demand. Perceptual appearance may thus be constructed through temporally unfolding interactions in which context is actively gathered, not passively received.
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Nakamura, T., Okubo, L., Miyoshi, K., Murakami, I.. 2026-10-06. On-demand surround suppression explains the spatiotemporal window of the tilt illusion. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.10.01.755975
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