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Contextual cost: when a visual-search target is not where it should be
1Department of Psychology and Center for Cognitive Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA. tal.makovski@gmail.com
Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)
|January 23, 2010
Summary
Contextual cueing in visual search relies on predicting target locations. When targets relocate, search efficiency decreases, indicating predictability is key.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Visual search benefits from repeated display configurations, a phenomenon known as contextual cueing.
- The associative-learning account suggests cueing arises from associating display layouts with target locations.
- Alternative explanations propose low-level repetition priming, particularly local context, may underlie this effect.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate between associative learning and local repetition priming in contextual cueing.
- To investigate if search is guided by a target's expected location, even after relocation.
Main Methods:
- Participants performed visual search tasks with repeated displays to establish contextual cueing.
- A transfer session involved relocating the target to a new location (blank or distractor).
Main Results:
- Contextual cueing diminished as the target moved further from its learned location.
- A contextual cost emerged when the target swapped positions with a local distractor.
Conclusions:
- Target predictability, not just local priming, is crucial for contextual cueing.
- Search behavior is influenced by the learned association between display configurations and target locations.
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