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Divided attention effects in visual search are caused by objects not by space
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Divided attention effects in visual search are caused by objects not by space

Cathleen M Moore, James Pai and John Palmer
Journal of vision (Charlottesville, Va.), Vol.22(12), pp.2-2
11/01/2022
DOI: 10.1167/jov.22.12.2
PMCID: PMC9639677
PMID: 36318191
url
https://doi.org/10.1167/jov.22.12.2View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Divided attention effects have been observed across a variety of stimuli and perceptual tasks, which have given rise to both object-based and space-based theories of divided attention. Object-based theories assert that processing information from multiple objects is limited, whereas space-based theories assert that processing information from multiple locations is limited. Extant results in the literature are collectively inconsistent with both simple object-based theories and simple space-based theories of divided attention. Using a visual search task with the extended simultaneous-sequential method to reveal capacity limitations, we found evidence of limited-capacity processing of object properties and unlimited-capacity processing of feature contrast. We found no evidence of a separate spatial limitation. A multiple pathway processing theory can account for these and a large body of previous results. According to this theory, tasks that require object processing must follow a limited-capacity pathway and therefore incur divided attention effects. Tasks that depend on only feature contrast can follow a separate unlimited-capacity processing pathway and therefore do not incur divided attention effects.

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