Visual Masking

Visual masking is a technique used in cognitive research to understand pre-conscious processes (priming, for example), consciousness, visual limits, and perception issues associated with psychopathology. This book is a short format review of research using visual masking: how it has been used, and what these experiments have discovered.Topics covered include concepts, varieties, and theories of masking; masking and microgenetic mechanisms and stagesof visual processing; psychopharmacological and genetic factors in masking, and more.

"Reading the book is not only instructive but also fun. It portrays many surprising new findings, which are well beyond the main discussions about the mechanisms of masking…It is a truly balanced and an exhaustive review. Great!"—Perception

"Unfortunately, the literature on masking is heavily distributed, with a low level of coherence. Clearly, a new book was needed and fortunately Talis Bachmann and Greg Francis have taken the challenge and filled the gap with a marvelous review book. The main bulk of the book is to review all current studies and theories on masking from 2006 onwards...the book has managed, in an elegant fashion, to present the current approaches to masking, together with their supporting and contradicting evidence. All experiments and theories are not only well presented but critically discussed...patterns within the ocean of unrelated topics become visible. Bachmann and Francis also cover applications, particularly, how masking is used in the clinic. Reading the book is not only instructuve but also fun. It is a truly balanced and an exhaustive review."—Reviewed by Michael Herzog, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, for Perception, 2015, 0(0) 1-2