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Published on: August 29, 2018
Expectancies modulate attentional capture by salient color singletons.
Thomas Geyer1, Hermann J Müller, Joseph Krummenacher
1Department Psychologie, Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Leopoldstrasse 13, 80802 München, Germany. geyer@lmu.de
Vision Research
|April 15, 2008
Summary
Salient color distractors interfere with form target detection only when presented infrequently. This cross-dimensional interference is a covert attention effect, influenced by the incentive to suppress distractors.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Attention
Background:
- Salient singleton color distractors are known to impede target detection in form-defined visual search.
- Previous research established cross-dimensional interference effects in visual attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine the impact of singleton color distractors on form target detection.
- To investigate the underlying mechanisms of distractor interference using eye movement data.
- To explore how distractor proportion influences attentional selection.
Main Methods:
- Observers performed a singleton feature search task for a form target.
- A salient singleton color distractor was presented on a variable proportion of trials.
- Reaction times (RTs) and eye movements were recorded.
Main Results:
- Singleton distractors interfered with target detection only when presented on a small proportion of trials.
- Eye movement data provided insights into the attentional mechanisms.
- Distractor interference was modulated by the observer's top-down incentive to suppress the distractor dimension.
Conclusions:
- Cross-dimensional interference in visual search is primarily a covert attention effect.
- The competition for attentional selection between target and distractor underlies this interference.
- Top-down control mechanisms can modulate the strength of distractor interference.
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