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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 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

Object crowding.

Julian M Wallace1, Bosco S Tjan

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-1061, USA. julian.wallace@usc.edu

Journal of Vision
|May 27, 2011
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Visual crowding, where peripheral items hinder identification, is weaker for everyday objects than letters. This suggests a shared underlying mechanism affects both object and letter crowding similarly.

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Area of Science:

  • Visual perception
  • Cognitive psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Visual crowding is a well-documented phenomenon where peripheral visual stimuli are difficult to identify when flanked by other items.
  • Previous research has primarily focused on simple patterns like Gabor patches and letters to study crowding.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and characterize the phenomenon of visual crowding for everyday objects.
  • To compare the spatial extent and strength of object crowding with that of letter crowding.
  • To determine if interior and exterior features of objects are differentially affected by crowding.

Main Methods:

  • Three-item arrays of everyday objects and letters were presented radially and tangentially in the lower visual field.
  • Observers identified the central target item.
  • Contrast energy thresholds were measured as a function of target-to-flanker spacing for intact objects, silhouette objects, and objects with interior features occluded.

Main Results:

  • Object crowding exhibited a similar spatial extent to letter crowding but was significantly weaker, with a lower elevation in threshold contrast energy (1 log unit for objects vs. 2 log units for letters).
  • Critical spacings for crowding were comparable for intact objects, silhouette objects, and objects with occluded interiors, indicating that both exterior and interior features are similarly affected.
  • Increasing contrast significantly reduced the impact of crowding for grayscale objects.

Conclusions:

  • The mechanism underlying crowding for letters and everyday objects is likely the same, affecting interior and exterior features equally.
  • While the spatial extent of crowding is similar, objects are less susceptible to crowding than letters, particularly when contrast is increased.