Modelling and Simulation of Spontaneous Perception Switching with Ambiguous Visual Stimuli in Augmented Vision Systems

Abstract

A behavioral nonlinear dynamics model of multistable perception due to ambiguous visual stimuli is presented. The perception state is formalized as the phase variable (order parameter) of a recursive cosinuidal map with the two control parameters μ= difference of meaning and G ~ attention. μ controls the transition between unambiguous and ambiguous stimuli, e.g. from stimulus off to stimulus on, by means of a node bifurcation. Neuronal mean field interference with delayed phase feedback, with gain  G, delay T, and damping time τ enables transitions between chaotic and limit cycle attractors representing the perception states. Quasiperiodic perceptual reversals are induced by attention satiation (fatigue) G(t) with time constant γ and attention bias which determines the relative duration of the different percepts. The coupled attention – percep-tion dynamics with an additive stochastic attention noise term reproduces the experimentally observed Γ-distribution of the reversal time statistics. Mean reversal times of typically 3 – 5 s as reported in the literature, are correctly predicted if T is associated with the delay of 40 ms between stimulus onset and primary visual cortex (V1) response. Numerically determined perceptual transition times of 3 – 5 T are in reasonable agreement with stimulus – conscious perception delay of 150 – 200 ms [11]. Eigenfrequencies of the limit cycle oscillations are in the range of 10 – 100 Hz, in agreement with typical EEG frequencies.