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Object-based selection is contingent on attentional control settings.

J Eric T Taylor¹, Jason Rajsic², Jay Pratt²

¹Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, 100 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada. j.eric.t.taylor@gmail.com.

Attention, Perception & Psychophysics

|February 24, 2016

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Object-based attention is not automatic; it depends on matching object features to your goals. This study shows visual attention selects objects only when their features align with the observer's task, demonstrating contingent attentional control.

Keywords:

Contingent capture Object-based attention Space-based attention Top-down control of attention

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Last Updated: Mar 25, 2026

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Published on: July 5, 2015

Area of Science:

Cognitive Neuroscience
Visual Attention
Perception

Background:

The visual system employs both object-based and location-based attention.
The precise conditions under which object-based attention is engaged remain unclear.
Previous research often assumed object-based selection is a default or mandatory process.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the conditions that trigger object-based attention.
To determine if object-based effects are contingent on task goals.
To differentiate contingent object-based selection from other priming effects.

Main Methods:

Modified classic object-based attention paradigms.
Conducted experiments involving covert orienting and attentional focus adjustments.
Manipulated object features (color) and task goals (target color matching) to assess attentional selection.

Main Results:

Object-based attentional effects were observed only when task-irrelevant object features matched the target feature defined by the task goal.
Covert orienting was influenced by objects solely when their color matched the target color.
The region of attentional focus adapted to object size only when color features were congruent.

Conclusions:

Object-based attention is not mandatory or default; it is contingent on top-down attentional control settings.
The observer's task goals play a crucial role in determining when attention selects objects.
Contingent object-based selection is distinct from simple feature-based priming effects.