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 Concept Videos

Sensory Memory01:14

Sensory Memory

Sensory memory captures information from the environment in its original form for a very brief duration, just long enough to be exposed to visual, auditory, and other senses. This type of memory is detailed and rich but quickly lost unless certain strategies are employed to transfer it into short-term or long-term memory. Sensory information is continuously bombarding the human brain, yet only a small fraction is absorbed, as most of it does not significantly impact daily life. For instance,...
Sensation01:21

Sensation

Sensory receptors are specialized neurons that respond to specific types of external stimuli, initiating the process known as sensation. This occurs when sensory input, such as light entering the eye, is detected by these receptors, causing chemical changes in the cells of the retina. These cells then convert the sensory stimulus into action potentials that are transmitted to the central nervous system, a process termed transduction.
Absolute thresholds can quantify the sensitivity of sensory...
Nonconscious Mimicry01:13

Nonconscious Mimicry

Nonconscious mimicry occurs when individuals alter their mannerisms to match the behaviors and expressions of those nearby, without intention.
Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System01:11

Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System

The somatosensory system is the central and peripheral nervous system component that senses and processes touch, pressure, pain, temperature, and body position or proprioception. The process of sensation takes place at three levels:
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the stimulus...
Introduction to Sensory Receptors01:31

Introduction to Sensory Receptors

Sensory receptors are vital in our ability to perceive and interpret the world. Sensory receptors are specialized cells in the peripheral nervous system that respond to various stimuli and enable one to experience different sensations. Based on specific criteria, sensory receptors are classified into distinct types.
The first classification criterion is based on cell type, position, and function. Some receptor cells are neurons with free nerve endings, where their dendrites are embedded in the...
Perceptual Constancy01:12

Perceptual Constancy

Perceptual constancy is the ability to recognize that objects remain consistent and unchanged even when their appearance varies due to changes in sensory input. There are four main types of perceptual constancy: size constancy, shape constancy, color constancy, and brightness constancy.
Size constancy is the recognition that an object remains the same size, even when its image on the retina changes. For instance, a bus is perceived to be large enough to carry people, even if it looks tiny from...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Testing a sensory preactivation account of attention guidance from visual working memory.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2026
Same author

Saccades to spatially extended objects: The roles of observer goals and part-structure cues in determining within-object landing position.

Journal of vision·2026
Same author

Dissociations and interactions between attention guidance from negative templates maintained in visual working memory and long-term memory.

Cognition·2026
Same author

Overconfidence Persists Despite Years of Accurate, Precise, Public, and Continuous Feedback: Two Studies of Tournament Chess Players.

Psychological science·2025
Same author

Template-based and saliency-driven attentional control converge to coactivate on a common, spatially organized priority map.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2025
Same author

Are selection history effects limited to implicit forms of memory? Evidence from intertrial repetition.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2024
Same journal

Low prevalence targets are primarily missed due to mind wandering.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

An introduction to the special issue celebrating Mary A. Peterson.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Properties of the threshold stimulus exposure duration (TSED) measure of visual search efficiency.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Auditory selective attention in depth: Investigating directional dependency across front, lateral, and rear spaces.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Dissociations between stereoacuity and visual acuity with binocular night vision goggles.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same journal

Reward-based prioritization and perceptual feature effects on attentional flexibility in working memory.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

New objects do not capture attention without a sensory transient.

Andrew Hollingworth1, Daniel J Simons, Steven L Franconeri

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1407, USA. andrew-hollingworth@uiowa.edu

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|July 6, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Luminance transients, not new object representations, drive attention capture. Masking these visual signals prevents attention capture and hinders object search, indicating their necessity for involuntary attention shifts.

More Related Videos

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons (Columba Livia)
06:14

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons (Columba Livia)

Published on: September 7, 2018

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking
05:58

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons (Columba Livia)
06:14

A Method for Investigating Change Blindness in Pigeons (Columba Livia)

Published on: September 7, 2018

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
13:00

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Visual Perception

Background:

  • Attention capture is the involuntary recruitment of attention by stimuli.
  • The abrupt appearance of new objects is a key attention-capturing event.
  • Debate exists whether object representation or luminance transients cause this capture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine if luminance transients or new object representations are essential for attention capture.
  • To investigate the role of luminance transients in guiding visual attention.

Main Methods:

  • A new object was introduced into a visual search display.
  • The luminance transient of the new object was manipulated (present or masked).
  • Participant performance in locating the new object was measured.

Main Results:

  • When the luminance transient was masked, the new object failed to capture attention.
  • Masking the luminance transient impaired efficient visual search for the new object.
  • These findings contradict previous research suggesting object representation is sufficient.

Conclusions:

  • Luminance transient signals are necessary for attention capture by newly appearing objects.
  • Visual transients play a critical role in involuntary attentional orienting.
  • This study clarifies the fundamental mechanisms underlying visual attention capture.