There are models concerned more generally with sustained binocular rivalry and in these models there is an acknowledgment that the rivalry process must begin with one stimulus gaining initial dominance over the other.
However, it is an open question whether these manipulations – image contrast in binocular rivalry and dot luminance in structure-from-motion rivalry – affect the competition process in similar ways, or whether they are different.
Recently, however, converging lines of evidence point to a hybrid theory that binocular rivalry entails multiple processes operating at different levels of the visual hierarchy [11] [13].
We started the investigation with several low-level properties of the binocular conflict, as one of the current theories suggests that rivalry is a process of low-level conflict resolution [19].
To some extent, our data are consistent with studies that implicate early visual areas in the process of rivalry [39], [40].
Recently, it has been proposed that several levels within the visual system may contribute to the process of rivalry [15], [17], [43].
The validity of the revised second proposition in particular implies that visual competition in perceptual rivalry involves an active process of cross-inhibiting neural populations with computational principles much like we find in binocular rivalry.
A lot of its success comes from removing much of the competition and rivalry created by most procurement processes, and replacing it with cooperation.
These reports of perceptual stabilization were assumed to reflect the temporary suspension or slowing of the physiological processes underlying binocular rivalry.
If it does, the frequently reported eye-based processes during binocular rivalry (e.g. [50] [53]), may be (partly) explained by means of feedback [17], [54].
