What people see at each flicker rate (Allefeld 2011)
Partly. For a given person a percept tends to come back at the same rate, and whole percepts are tied to rate more tightly than single features are. But rate alone does not determine what is seen.
The question: Does the rate of flicker decide what colours and shapes a person sees?
| Type of study | Experiment |
|---|---|
| Who took part | Not given in the abstract |
| What was done | A whole-field (Ganzfeld) light swept continuously from 1 to 50 Hz while participants reported what they saw. |
| How much weight it carries | Mixed evidence |
What it found
- Individuals showed a high degree of frequency stability in their percepts.
- Complex percept classes were more frequency-specific than elementary features.
- Frequency does not unambiguously determine the experienced percept.
Limits
- Subjective reports.
- Differences between people are large.
Where this sits
More in the library on light, flicker and 40 hz. For the wider picture, read 40 Hz, gamma and the brain.
This is our plain-language reading of the paper. It is not medical advice, and one study rarely settles a question.
Sources
- Allefeld, C., Pütz, P., Kastner, K., & Wackermann, J. (2011). Flicker-light induced visual phenomena: Frequency dependence and specificity of whole percepts and percept features. Consciousness and Cognition, 20(4). doi.org/10.1016/j.concog.2010.10.026