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Related Experiment Videos

General mental resources and perceptual judgments.

D Reisberg

    Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
    |December 1, 1983
    PubMed
    Summary
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    Cognitive perception relies on task-general mental resources. Distractor tasks, like memory loads, impair cognitive perception by competing for working memory, but not simple visual perception.

    Area of Science:

    • Cognitive Psychology
    • Visual Perception
    • Working Memory Research

    Background:

    • The nature of cognitive perception and its reliance on general mental resources remains an area of active research.
    • Understanding the interplay between perceptual tasks and executive functions, such as working memory, is crucial for cognitive models.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate whether "cognitive" perception, unlike simpler visual processing, requires task-general mental resources.
    • To determine if cognitive load, specifically working memory load, interferes with complex perceptual judgments.

    Main Methods:

    • Three experiments were conducted using distractor tasks (mental arithmetic, digit memory load, counting) alongside perceptual tasks.
    • Perceptual tasks included discovering alternative organizations of ambiguous stimuli, solving Street figures, judging 3D object possibility, and perceiving random-dot stereograms.

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  • Reaction times (latency to discovery or first reversal) were measured to assess the impact of distractor tasks.

    • Main Results:

    • Distractor tasks significantly slowed down performance on tasks requiring "cognitive" perception (ambiguous stimuli, Street figures, 3D object judgments).
    • No significant interference was observed when perceiving random-dot stereograms, suggesting a distinction in resource demands.
    • The observed pattern of disruption was not attributable to task unfamiliarity or simple response latency.

    Conclusions:

    • Cognitive perception, characterized by the need for task-general mental resources, is distinct from simpler visual perception.
    • Working memory is a key task-general resource that perceptual judgments compete for, particularly when a "solution" requires confirmation.
    • These findings support models where complex perception engages executive functions beyond basic sensory processing.