Yanna Mao¹, Rong Jiang¹, Ming Meng²; ¹South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China, ²University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA

Visual imagery can evoke perceptual-like representations in early visual cortex and bias subsequent conscious perception (i.e., imagery aftereffects). Unlike perception, which is constrained by retinal architecture, visual imagery, however, can subjectively extend beyond these retinal boundaries. This contrast raises the question of whether imagery aftereffects follow systematic spatial constraints. To address this issue, we conducted three psychophysical experiments examining the spatial characteristics of imagery aftereffects. Experiment 1 tested whether imagery aftereffects for static stimuli exhibit spatial specificity. Participants imagined a static grating of horizontal or vertical orientation at a specified location, and then detected a briefly presented probe embedded in noise. Results revealed a spatial dependence of imagery aftereffects. Specifically, imagery facilitated detection of orientation-matching probes relative to a no-imagery baseline only at the imagined location, with no facilitation elsewhere. Experiment 2 investigated how spatial location modulates imagery aftereffects for a dynamic rotating disc. Participants imagined a static disc initiating clockwise or counterclockwise rotation at varying distances, and then viewed a centrally presented bistable disc. The results revealed spatial tolerance in imagery aftereffects. Specifically, the perceptual bias toward the imagined direction decreased gradually with increasing distance, yet remained detectable even at the largest separation (12°). Experiment 3 tested whether imagery aftereffects exhibit central-peripheral asymmetry. Whereas Experiment 2 presented probes only at foveal fixation, Experiment 3 contrasted imagery at fixation with testing in the periphery and vice versa. Both conditions produced positive imagery aftereffects relative to the location-specific baseline perceptual bias, with comparable magnitudes, suggesting an absence of central–peripheral asymmetry. Taken together, these results indicate that imagery aftereffects are influenced by spatial location and further modulated by stimulus properties. Visual imagery thus operates under systematic spatial principles, offering insights into how imagery interacts with early visual processing.