Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 3, 2026

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
Published on: July 16, 2015
Perceptual inertia: spatial attention and warning foreperiod?
M Wienese1, W La Heij, A H van der Heijden
1Leiden University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Experimental and Theoretical Psychology, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
Perceptual inertia refers to a potential explanation for the observation that during a short period after stimulus onset, the visual system is insensitive to discriminatory detail. The present study attempted to replicate this empirical result in a simple one-item letter-identification task. The results provided little if any support for the construct of perceptual inertia. In the five experiments reported, evidence consistent with perceptual inertia was only obtained in Experiment 5. However, the Experiment 5 results can at least equally parsimoniously be explained in terms of two standard explanatory factors: an effect of precuing of the target position (selective attention) and foreperiod duration (general preparation).
More Related Videos
13:00Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
06:46Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Perception
Bottom-up processing begins at the sensory level, where receptors detect external environmental stimuli. These could include the tactile sensation of...
Depth Perception and Spatial Vision
Subliminal Perception
Factors Affecting Perception
An illustrative example of a perceptual set is the scenario where an airline pilot told...
Perceptual Constancy
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...
Parallel Processing