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Automatic, stimulus-driven attentional capture by objecthood.

Ruth Kimchi1, Yaffa Yeshurun, Aliza Cohen-Savransky

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. rkimchi@research.haifa.ac.il

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 5, 2007
PubMed
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Objects automatically capture visual attention, even without unique cues. Grouping elements into an object benefits targets within it but hinders those outside, demonstrating stimulus-driven attention.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception
  • Attention Studies

Background:

  • Attention is crucial for processing visual information.
  • Previous research suggests attention is captured by salient stimuli or task relevance.
  • The role of object organization in automatic attention capture was unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if Gestalt grouping factors can automatically attract visual attention.
  • To determine if object formation alone, without transient onsets, captures attention.
  • To examine the attentional benefits and costs associated with task-irrelevant objects.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted using visual search tasks.
  • Participants identified the color of a target among distractor elements.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Elements were sometimes grouped by Gestalt factors (collinearity, closure, symmetry) into task-irrelevant objects.

    • Main Results:

    • Reaction times were faster for targets within the object area compared to displays without objects (benefit).
    • Reaction times were slower for targets outside the object area compared to displays without objects (cost).
    • These effects occurred even when the object was task-irrelevant and unpredictable.

    Conclusions:

    • Object organization by Gestalt factors can automatically capture visual attention.
    • Attention is captured in a stimulus-driven manner, similar to exogenous cues.
    • The mere formation of an object influences attentional allocation in the visual field.