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Detectability as a function of spatial location: effects of selective attention
E W Yund1, R Efron, D R Nichols
1Neurophysiology-Biophysics Research Laboratory, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Martinez, California 94553.
Brain and Cognition
|January 1, 1990
Summary
Target detection involves a serial processing scan, not attentional shifts. This study investigated the nature of this visual processing scan, finding evidence for scanning but not attentional shifts.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Previous research identified a
- detectability gradient
- in target detection based on spatial location.
- This gradient was attributed to a serial processing mechanism, termed a "scan".
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that the observed scan is attentional in nature.
- To differentiate between attentional shifts and other perceptual mechanisms in visual scanning.
Main Methods:
- Experimental design to probe the nature of the visual scanning mechanism.
- Analysis of target detectability as a function of spatial location and processing demands.
Main Results:
- Experimental results provide further support for the scanning hypothesis.
- Evidence suggests the scan is not composed of a series of attentional shifts.
Conclusions:
- The visual processing scan is a fundamental mechanism in target detection.
- The scan's nature is distinct from sequential attentional shifts, suggesting a different underlying process.