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Neural Evidence of Cognitive Conflict During Binocular Rivalry

22 Pages Posted: 12 Dec 2019 Publication Status: Review Complete

See all articles by Alice Drew

Alice Drew

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

Mireia Torralba

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

Manuela Ruzzoli

University of Glasgow - Institute for Neuroscience and Psychology

Luis Morís Fernández

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

Alba Sabaté

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

Márta Szabina Pápai

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

Salvador Soto-Faraco

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group

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Abstract

To make sense of ambiguous and, at times, incomplete sensory input, the brain relies on a process of active interpretation. At any given moment, only one of several possible perceptual outcomes prevails in our conscious experience. Our hypothesis is that the competition between alternative representations induces cognitive conflict, eventually leading to fluctuations between different perceptual interpretations. We used binocular rivalry, a popular protocol to probe changes in perceptual awareness and drew on the conflict monitoring theory, which holds that cognitive control is invoked by the detection of conflict during information processing. We looked for an increase in power of fronto-medial theta oscillations (5-7 Hz), an established EEG marker of conflict detection. Our results show that fm-theta power increases right before perceptual alternations and decreases thereafter, suggesting that conflict monitoring is related to perceptual competition. Furthermore, to investigate conflict resolution via attentional engagement, as held by the conflict monitoring theory, we also looked for changes in parieto-occipital alpha oscillations (8-12 Hz) associated to perceptual switches. These oscillations have been associated to attention allocation via functional inhibition in sensory cortices. The power of parieto-occipital alpha was inversely related to that of fm-theta, reflecting periods of high inter-ocular inhibition during stable perception, and low inhibition around moments of perceptual change. Our findings validate a prediction made 20 years ago in the seminal paper formulating the conflict monitoring theory, and establish a previously unknown link between conflict mechanisms and the processes leading to perceptual awareness.

Keywords: binocular rivalry, conflict monitoring, cognitive control, attention, functional inhibition, visual perception, theta power, alpha power, EEG

Suggested Citation

Drew, Alice and Torralba, Mireia and Ruzzoli, Manuela and Morís Fernández, Luis and Sabaté, Alba and Szabina Pápai, Márta and Soto-Faraco, Salvador, Neural Evidence of Cognitive Conflict During Binocular Rivalry (November 11, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3501843 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3501843
This version of the paper has not been formally peer reviewed.

Alice Drew (Contact Author)

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

Mireia Torralba

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

Manuela Ruzzoli

University of Glasgow - Institute for Neuroscience and Psychology ( email )

Glasgow, Scotland G12 8LE
United Kingdom

Luis Morís Fernández

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

Alba Sabaté

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

Márta Szabina Pápai

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

Salvador Soto-Faraco

Universitat Pompeu Fabra - Multisensory Research Group ( email )

Spain

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