Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance
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J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform · May 2019
The allocation of resources in visual working memory and multiple attentional templates.
In a visual search task, sensory input is matched to a representation of the search target in visual working memory (VWM). This representation is referred to as attentional template. We investigated the conditions that allow for more than a single attentional template. ⋯ Thus, 2 attentional templates may be set up, but only when the 2 colors receive an equal amount of resources in VWM (i.e., in dual target search). In contrast, when 1 item is deprioritized because of task demands, it receives fewer resources in VWM and multiple attentional templates cannot be established. Thus, unequal roles in the search task prevented the simultaneous operation of multiple attentional templates in VWM. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform · Mar 2019
Feature-based statistical regularities of distractors modulate attentional capture.
Ignoring salient distracting information is paramount to efficiently guiding attention during visual search. Learning to reject or suppress these strong sources of distraction leads to more effective visual search for targets. Participants can learn to overcome salient distractors if given reliable search regularities. ⋯ In subsequent experiments we manipulated the frequency of the colors of the color singleton distractors and observed robust increases in capture based on color feature regularities. Despite strong location information, we observed reliable attentional capture attenuation by frequently presented distractor colors. Our results suggest that attentional capture is attenuated by both location and feature information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform · Jan 2019
Evidence for second-order singleton suppression based on probabilistic expectations.
Decades of research in attention have shown that salient distractors (e.g., a color singleton) tend to capture attention. However, in most studies, singleton distractors are just as likely to be present as absent. We therefore have little knowledge of how probabilistic expectations of the salient distractor's occurrence and features affect suppression. ⋯ The letter in the singleton location was reported less often in the high-frequency condition, suggesting proactive suppression of expected singleton. Additionally, we found that trial-to-trial repetitions of a singleton (irrespective of its color and location) facilitated performance (i.e., singleton repetition priming), but repetitions of its specific color or location did not. Together our findings demonstrate that attentional capture by a color singleton distractor is attenuated by probabilistic expectations of its occurrence, but not of its color and location. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
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J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform · Dec 2018
How feature relationships influence attention and awareness: Evidence from eye movements and EEG.
Many everyday tasks require selecting relevant objects in the visual field while ignoring irrelevant information. A widely held belief is that attention is tuned to the exact feature value(s) of a sought-after target object (e.g., color, shape). In contrast, subsequent studies have shown that attentional orienting (capture) is often determined by the relative feature(s) that the target has relative to other irrelevant items surrounding (e.g., redder, larger). ⋯ As expected, the results revealed that the initial capture of attention was strongest for distractors matching the relative color of the target, whereas similarity to the target was the most important determiner for dwelling. Awareness was more strongly determined by the initial capture of attention than dwelling. These results provide important insights into the interplay of attention and awareness and highlight the importance of considering relative, context-dependent features in theories of awareness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).
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J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform · Sep 2018
Object-based target templates guide attention during visual search.
During visual search, attention is believed to be controlled in a strictly feature-based fashion, without any guidance by object-based target representations. To challenge this received view, we measured electrophysiological markers of attentional selection (N2pc component) and working memory (sustained posterior contralateral negativity; SPCN) in search tasks where two possible targets were defined by feature conjunctions (e.g., blue circles and green squares). Critically, some search displays also contained nontargets with two target features (incorrect conjunction objects, e.g., blue squares). ⋯ This demonstrates that after an initial feature-based guidance phase, object-based templates are activated when they are required to distinguish target and nontarget objects. These templates modulate visual processing and control access to working memory, and their activation may coincide with the start of feature integration processes. Results also suggest that while multiple feature templates can be activated concurrently, only a single object-based target template can guide attention at any given time. (PsycINFO Database Record