Visual search is guided to categorically-defined targets
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Updated: Jun 22, 2026

Defining the Role Of Language in Infants' Object Categorization with Eye-tracking Paradigms
Published on: February 8, 2019
Hyejin Yang1, Gregory J Zelinsky
1Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, United States.
Abstract:
To determine whether categorical search is guided we had subjects search for teddy bear targets either with a target preview (specific condition) or without (categorical condition). Distractors were random realistic objects. Although subjects searched longer and made more eye movements in the categorical condition, targets were fixated far sooner than was expected by chance. By varying target repetition we also determined that this categorical guidance was not due to guidance from specific previously viewed targets. We conclude that search is guided to categorically-defined targets, and that this guidance uses a categorical model composed of features common to the target class.
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