Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

When does visual attention select all features of a distractor?

Zhe Chen1, Kyle R Cave

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. zhe.chen@canterbury.ac.nz

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|December 13, 2006
PubMed
Summary

Even when not the focus, attended objects’ irrelevant features are processed, interfering with tasks. This processing depends on attention strength and object location.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Is there a cost in forming statistical summary representations at multiple spatial scales?

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same author

Expecting the irrelevant: the role of attentional resources in spatial and temporal distribution of attention to expected distractors.

Vision research·2025
Same author

Attentional settings based on previous experience affect bias in visual comparisons.

Vision research·2025
Same author

Learning not to attend to distractors if the task is demanding: Constraints on the attentional white bear effect.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2023
Same author

What gaze direction can tell us about cognitive processes in invertebrates.

Biochemical and biophysical research communications·2021
Same author

Both feature comparisons and location comparisons are subject to bias.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2021

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Theories of attention often assume full feature processing of attended objects.
  • Limited empirical evidence exists on processing of irrelevant features of attended nontargets.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether irrelevant feature dimensions of attended nontargets are processed.
  • To determine the extent and conditions under which distractors are fully processed.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a singleton paradigm across five experiments.
  • Participants performed speeded feature discrimination tasks involving compatible/incompatible distractors.
  • Varied target and distractor location invariance.

Main Results:

Related Experiment Videos

  • Irrelevant distractor features were processed, causing response interference with the target.
  • Response compatibility effects were observed even with invariant locations, though weaker.
  • Complete distractor processing is contingent on attention strength and other factors.

Conclusions:

  • Attended distractors are often fully selected and processed.
  • The degree of distractor processing is influenced by attentional factors and spatial relationships.
  • Findings challenge assumptions about selective attention and feature integration.