A compendium of considerations for methods in motion-induced blindness research.

Abstract

Ever since its introduction to vision research by Bonneh and colleagues in 2001, motion-induced blindness (MIB) has spawned a great deal of scholarly activity. However, an investigation of the common methods used for the MIB task indicates several issues, including a trend of newer studies simply replicating methodologies from earlier works, ambiguity regarding what the most optimal methods are for the MIB task, and the exclusion by MIB studies of crucial details regarding the MIB task. These issues are the consequence of the past two decades of MIB research having transpired without an updated set of guidelines and considerations regarding the use of the MIB task. Therefore, we aim to review the prevalent research methods in MIB studies, shed light on overlooked implications associated with these methodologies and configurations, and highlight innovative and effective approaches to MIB-related data collection. Discussions are supported using insights from both past MIB studies and new empirical findings of the present study. Aspects of MIB research that have been covered include managing individual differences, participant fatigue, fixation, response collection methods, defining target disappearance, target positioning, and the appearance of a MIB display's constituent elements.