Definition of Backward masking
In psychology and neuroscience, backward masking is a phenomenon of human perception in which a briefly presented stimulus (the "target") becomes difficult or impossible to consciously perceive when it is quickly followed by another stimulus (the "mask"). This usually occurs when the two stimuli are separated by only a very short time interval, often just a few milliseconds, highlighting the importance of timing in visual perception.
Even when people report that they did not see the target, it can still influence their behaviour. This suggests that the brain can process visual information without conscious awareness. As a result, backward masking is widely used in psychology and neuroscience to study how perception relates to consciousness.
Related terms
Auditory masking
In audio signal processing, auditory masking occurs when the perception of one sound is…
Threshold of pain
The threshold of pain or pain threshold is the point along a curve of increasing…
Duplex perception
Duplex perception refers to the linguistic phenomenon whereby "part of the acoustic…
Missing fundamental
The missing fundamental phenomenon is the perceptual phenomenon of hearing a pitch…
Dichotic pitch
In Audiology, dichotic pitch (or the dichotic pitch phenomenon) is a pitch heard due to…
Perception of infrasound
Infrasound is sound at frequencies lower than the low frequency end of human hearing…
Echolocation jamming
Echolocation (or sonar) systems of animals, like human radar systems, are susceptible to…
Auditory science
Auditory science or hearing science is a field of research and education concerning the…
Occlusion effect
The occlusion effect occurs when an object fills the outer portion of a person's ear…
Frequently asked questions
What is Backward masking?
In psychology and neuroscience, backward masking is a phenomenon of human perception in which a briefly presented stimulus (the "target") becomes difficult or impossible to consciously perceive when it is quickly followed by another stimulus (the "mask").