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

Perceptual objects capture attention.

Yaffa Yeshurun1, Ruth Kimchi, Guy Sha'shoua

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

Vision Research
|February 27, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

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

Examining the diametric model of autistic and psychotic traits through temporal perception.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Attentional modulation of size perception in peripheral vision.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Temporal dynamics of integration and individuation: Insights from temporal averaging and crowding.

Cognition·2025
Same author

Studying unconscious processing: Contention and consensus.

The Behavioral and brain sciences·2025
Same author

Large-scale examination of the benefit and cost of spatial attention and their individual variability.

Cognition·2025
Same author

Ensemble perception requires attention.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2025
Same journal

Editorial for VSI Amblyopia: Advances in Amblyopia Research.

Vision research·2026
Same journal

Computational and mathematical models in vision: Quantitative approaches to understanding visual perception.

Vision research·2026
Same journal

Complex interactions between lightness, chroma, and hue in color ensemble perception.

Vision research·2026
Same journal

Driving with autism spectrum disorder: Exploring the impact of tactile hazard warnings on gaze behavior and hazard responses.

Vision research·2026
Same journal

Early visual processing in adults with ADHD: evidence from contrast sensitivity, spatial integration, and external noise.

Vision research·2026
Same journal

Pupil reflexes generate the peripheral drift illusion due to ON/OFF motion responses.

Vision research·2026
See all related articles

Perceptual objects automatically capture visual attention, even when the target is separate from the object. This automatic attention capture is robust and spatially specific, influencing performance.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Visual Perception
  • Attention Studies

Background:

  • Previous research indicates that visual objects automatically attract attention.
  • The current study investigates attentional capture by objecthood under simplified task demands.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if perceptual objects capture attention even when the target is not part of the object.
  • To examine the robustness and spatial characteristics of object-driven attentional capture.

Main Methods:

  • Participants viewed a matrix of elements, some forming a square-like object.
  • A Vernier target was presented either within the object's center or elsewhere, during or after the matrix display.
  • Performance was measured by comparing accuracy for targets presented inside versus outside the object.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Better performance was observed when the target appeared in the center of the object compared to other locations.
  • This effect persisted even when the target appeared after the object matrix had disappeared.
  • No featural uniqueness or abrupt onset predicted the object's attentional effect.

Conclusions:

  • Findings support the hypothesis that perceptual objects automatically capture attention.
  • Automatic attentional deployment to objects is robust and exhibits a spatial component.
  • Objecthood itself, independent of other cues, can guide attention.