Analysis of Top-Down Perceptual Modulation Considering Eye Fixations Made on a Bistable Logo

Within the framework of brand communication, several companies choose to use bistable logos. These types of logos fall within the mechanisms inherent to bistable perception, where the interpretation of the two possible percepts involved may depend on the areas being observed or on prior instructions given to the observer to search for a particular shape within the ambiguous image. Perceptual factors related to the stimulus and the areas of eye fixation are called bottom-up aspects. The information exogenous to the bistable stimulus that determines perception is called top-down modulation. In order to determine whether certain bottom-up perceptual modulation areas for the Toblerone bistable logo are related to the search for each percept previously modulated by a written instruction, an experimental task was carried out with 34 participants using a Tobii T-120 eye tracker device, manufactured by Tobii in Danderyd, Sweden. Seven bottom-up modulation clusters were analyzed for ocular responses manifested in two different top-down modulation conditions. The results show that for each of the percepts, some areas correspond to the textual information offered as a top-down modulator. It is concluded that for the perception of the Toblerone® logo, some areas are related to each percept, and the unimodal top-down modulation mechanisms operate in certain areas, while others can be assumed to be parts of the logo that contribute to the recognition of the two percepts involved.