A reinvestigation of the reference frame of the tilt-adaptation aftereffect

Abstract

The tilt-adaptation aftereffect (TAE) is the phenomenon that prolonged perception of a tilted 'adapter' stimulus affects the perceived tilt of a subsequent 'tester' stimulus. Although it is clear that TAE is strongest when adapter and tester are presented at the same location, the reference frame of the effect is debated. Some authors have reported that TAE is spatiotopic (world centred): It occurs when adapter and tester are presented at the same display location, even when this corresponds to different retinal locations. Others have reported that TAE is exclusively retinotopic (eye centred): It occurs only when adapter and tester are presented at the same retinal location, even when this corresponds to different display locations. Because this issue is crucial for models of transsaccadic perception, we reinvestigated the reference frame of TAE. We report that TAE is exclusively retinotopic, supporting the notion that there is no transsaccadic integration of low-level visual information.