Abstract
Binocular rivalry is a perceptual phenomenon producing random fluctuations in perception while the physical stimulus remains unchanged. As one can assess an individual’s change in perception, binocular rivalry acts as a tool to allow one to gain better insight into the roles of perception and attention. The current study utilized a binocular rivalry paradigm to investigate the differences between 11 right-hemisphere stroke patients and 19 healthy control participants. Results indicated that stroke patients reported significantly fewer perceptual alternations than control participants. Moreover, the percent correct on the BIT neglect tests was predictive of how many perceptual fluctuations the patients reported. Additionally, multiple stimuli were presented, whereas half of them were simple Gabor patches, and the other half comprising of more complex real-world scenes. Fewer perceptual fluctuations were reported in the control group amongst one of the real-world scenes in comparison to the Gabor patches. Another main question the study addressed is how two basic rehabilitation practices (Limb Activation Training and Phasic Alertness Training) influence attention mechanisms during binocular rivalry in stroke patients. A trend was found in the patient group that underwent Phasic Alertness Training expressing a slight increase in the number of perceptual fluctuations during binocular rivalry.