In Paracontrast masking, does the target or mask appear first?

In paracontrast masking, the mask appears first, followed by the target. This effect occurs when the presentation of a visual mask interferes with the perception of a subsequent target stimulus. The mask typically consists of high-contrast elements that can obscure or change the way the target is perceived once it appears.

The masking effect results from the temporal and spatial properties of vision, where the mask can effectively disrupt the neural processing of the target by saturating the visual input before the target is presented. This leads to difficulties in identifying or detecting the target due to the influence of the preceding mask. Understanding this sequence is crucial for grasping concepts related to visual perception and how various stimuli influence each other in cognitive processing.