Autonomy of Visual Afterimages as Tested by Changing Projection Surface

Abstract

If immature visual afterimages (AIs) are characterized by their lack of isolation from outside reality, they ought to be more sensitive to change in the projection surface than mature AIs. This proposition was tested in a group of 36 Ss confronted with two kinds of line patterns superimposed on the projection screen. AIs with immature stigmata (size-constancy, positive color, etc.) in an initial control series showed more deviations caused by these patterns than normally adult AIs. Even AIs with a loose or flexible structure in the control series tended to change; such AIs are not necessarily immature but rather reflect subjective contents overflowing the field of experience. In a second experiment, using 35 Ss, more complicated patterns were employed. All AIs here were more resistant to distortions.