Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
13:00
Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
Inhibition of return and object-based attentional selection
Alexandra List1, Lynn C Robertson
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, USA. a.list@bangor.ac.uk
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|December 19, 2007
Summary
This study shows that space-based inhibition of return (IOR) occurs quickly with nonpredictive cues, while object-based IOR has a different, slower time course. These findings clarify visual attention mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Attention Research
Background:
- Visual attention can be guided by spatial locations or by objects.
- Inhibition of Return (IOR) is a phenomenon where recently attended locations/objects are less likely to be re-attended.
- Previous research has explored both space-based and object-based IOR, but their temporal dynamics were unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether space-based and object-based inhibition of return (IOR) share similar time courses.
- To isolate and compare the temporal characteristics of space- and object-based IOR using peripheral and central cues.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a validated experimental design (Egly, Driver, & Rafal, 1994) to differentiate space- and object-based attention.
- Employed peripheral and back-to-center cues to elicit both types of IOR.
- Varied stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) to examine effects across different time intervals.
Main Results:
- Spatially nonpredictive cues reliably produced space-based IOR across various SOAs and stimulus conditions.
- Object-based effects (both facilitatory and inhibitory) exhibited a distinct time course compared to space-based IOR.
- Reliable object-based IOR was observed only under specific conditions, strongly linked to the SOA from the most recent cue.
Conclusions:
- Space-based and object-based IOR operate on different temporal scales.
- The timing of object-based IOR is primarily determined by the SOA from the preceding cue, potentially resolving inconsistencies in prior literature.
- These findings contribute to understanding IOR's role in guiding visual attention and object recognition.
