Binocular Rivalry and Suppression

Question 1

What is perception rivalry?

Answer 1

When confronted with ambiguous visual information, the brain will switch between competing alternatives rather than seeing both simultaneously

Question 2

What is binocular rivalry?

Answer 2

A form of perceptual rivalry

When conflicting images from each eye compete with each other

Question 3

What is suppression?

Answer 3

Active neuro-physiological process involving cortical inhibition of one eye’s visual input

It involves shutting down of the visual signal between eye and brain

Question 4

Why does suppression become important with strabismus?

Answer 4

This is because imagery from one eye is suppressed to avoid a form of mismatch and spatial uncertainty of confusion and diplopia

Question 5

What is normal suppression?

Answer 5

Visual system effectively ignoring input from one eye

Question 6

What is pathological suppression?

Answer 6

Occurs in response to binocular vision being compromised

Avoids diplopia and confusion

diplopia = 2 images of same object 
confusion = 2 different images appearing in the same region of space