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More than a memory: Confirmatory visual search is not caused by remembering a visual feature
1Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Canada.
Acta Psychologica
|September 29, 2017
Summary
Confirmation bias in visual search is not driven by memory for a specific color. Instead, biased search for information results from attentional selection strategies, not memory-based attentional biases.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Visual Perception
- Attention Studies
Background:
- Previous research indicates a bias towards positive information in visual search tasks.
- Search is biased towards specific features (e.g., color) even if it increases perceptual load.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if memory for a specific color drives the confirmatory search bias.
- To differentiate between memory-based and attentional selection strategies in biased visual search.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted to test the role of color memory in visual search.
- Search performance was analyzed based on the presence of matching colors in memory and search instructions.
Main Results:
- The confirmatory search bias was not solely dependent on the presence of a specific color in memory.
- Search times were affected by the number of stimuli matching the remembered color only when that color was part of the search instructions.
Conclusions:
- The confirmatory search bias in visual search is not primarily driven by memory for a specific color.
- Attentional selection strategies, rather than memory-driven biases, are the critical factor in biased information search.
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