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Directing spatial attention within an object: altering the functional equivalence of shape descriptions
Mary A Peterson1, Bradley S Gibson
1U Arizona, Tucson.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|February 1, 1991
Summary
Spatial attention influences how we perceive object organization. Focusing attention on a specific region of an object, like a Necker cube, dictates its perceived structure, overriding other visual cues.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Spatial attention is known to affect object recognition and feature detection.
- Its role in the perceptual organization of objects remains less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how spatial attention influences the perceptual organization of objects.
- To determine if attention can override inherent biases in object interpretation.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments used a modified Necker cube with a biased region to favor one interpretation.
- Observers' fixation location, attention location, and intention to maintain an interpretation were manipulated.
- Perceived organization was measured over 30-second trials.
Main Results:
- Attending to the biased region of the Necker cube led to obligatory effects of the bias on perception.
- These effects occurred regardless of fixation location.
- Attention to an unbiased region did not elicit the bias, even if the biased region was between fixation and the attended region.
Conclusions:
- Spatial attention plays a critical role in determining the functional description of an object's structure.
- Mechanisms of facilitation and inhibition within spatial attention shape object perception.