Journal article
Dividing attention between color and shape: evidence of coactivation
Perception & psychophysics, Vol.53(4), pp.357-366
04/1993
DOI: 10.3758/bf03206778
PMID: 8483699
Abstract
When attention is divided between spatially distinct objects, the time to detect a target decreases when two or more targets are present. This redundancy gain can be accounted for by an interactive race model (Mordkoff & Yantis, 1991) in which separate decisions are made about each object, but environmental contingencies among the objects can influence decision times. In the present study, we examined whether the model also accounts for performance when attention must be divided between stimulus attributes other than spatial location. Subjects made target-present responses when displays included a prespecified color, a prespecified letter, or both target features. The data violated the predictions of all separate-activations models, including the interactive race model. Two control experiments ruled out an alternative account based on task complexity. We conclude that coactivation occurs when target attributes from two separable dimensions are simultaneously present, but not when target attributes come from the same dimension. A modular hybrid of race and coactivation models is tentatively proposed.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Dividing attention between color and shape: evidence of coactivation
- Creators
- J T Mordkoff - Center for Human Information Processing, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla 92093-0109S Yantis
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Perception & psychophysics, Vol.53(4), pp.357-366
- Publisher
- United States
- DOI
- 10.3758/bf03206778
- PMID
- 8483699
- ISSN
- 0031-5117
- eISSN
- 1532-5962
- Grant note
- R01-MH43924 / NIMH NIH HHS T32-MH14268 / NIMH NIH HHS
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 04/1993
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Record Identifier
- 9984002427002771
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