Feature integration across space, time, and orientation

The perception of a visual target can be strongly influenced by flanking stimuli. In static displays, performance on the target improves when the distance to the flanking elements increases--presumably because feature pooling and integration vanishes with distance. Here, we studied feature integration with dynamic stimuli. We show that features of single elements presented within a continuous motion stream are integrated largely independent of spatial distance (and orientation). Hence, space-based models of feature integration cannot be extended to dynamic stimuli. We suggest that feature integration is guided by perceptual grouping operations that maintain the identity of perceptual objects over space and time. Keywords: nonretinotopic processing, motion grouping, metacontrast masking, oblique effect, contrast polarity Supplemental materials: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015798.supp DOI: 10.1037/a0015798