Perceptual dominance during binocular rivalry is prolonged by a dynamic surround

•Dynamic surround slows down perceptual alternations during binocular rivalry.•The effect is powerful when the surround is alternately presented to the two eyes.•A single flash shortens dominance, rather than prolonging it.•This phenomenon may explain why we do not perceive binocular rivalry in daily life.

We examined whether dynamic stimulation that surrounds a rival target influences perceptual alternations during binocular rivalry. We presented a rival target surrounded by dynamic random-dot patterns to both eyes, and measured dominance durations for each eye's rival target. We found that rival target dominance durations were longer when surrounds were dynamic than when they were static or absent. Additionally, prolonged dominance durations were more apparent when the dynamic surround was alternately presented between the two eyes than when it was presented simultaneously to both eyes. These results indicate that dynamic stimulation that surrounds a rival target plays a role in maintaining the current perceptual state, and causes less perceptual alternations during binocular rivalry. Our findings suggest that dynamic signals on the retina may suppress rivalry, and thus provide useful information for stabilizing perceptions in daily life.