Journal article
Learned Distractor Rejection in the Face of Strong Target Guidance
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Vol.46(9), pp.926-941
09/2020
DOI: 10.1037/xhp0000757
PMID: 32391708
Abstract
Visual attention is guided toward behaviorally relevant objects by target "templates" stored in visual memory. Visual attention also is guided away from nontarget distractors by learned distractor rejection. In a series of 5 visual search experiments, we asked if learned distractor rejection operated while attention was simultaneously guided by a target template. Participants performed a visual search in 2-color, spatially unsegregated displays where we manipulated attentional guidance by both target templates and consistent nontarget distractors. We observed faster mean response times to the target when a consistent nontarget distractor was present than when it was absent-the hallmark of learned distractor rejection-despite the use of strong target guidance. Learned distractor rejection indeed operates alongside guidance from a target template, indicating that theories of visual attention should incorporate guidance by both target templates and learned nontargets.
Public Significance Statement
This study provides a novel insight into the underlying processes that drive visual search by demonstrating that humans guide their search based on both information about the object being searched for (e.g., it's defining color) and experience the observer has had in ignoring distracting information while previously searching for similar items (e.g., learning that the object was never a certain color). Together, observers bias attention toward target-defining features while avoiding consistent distractor features to efficiency find the sought-after item.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Learned Distractor Rejection in the Face of Strong Target Guidance
- Creators
- Brad T Stilwell - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of IowaShaun P Vecera - Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Iowa
- Contributors
- Isabel Gauthier (Editor)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Vol.46(9), pp.926-941
- Publisher
- American Psychological Association
- DOI
- 10.1037/xhp0000757
- PMID
- 32391708
- ISSN
- 0096-1523
- eISSN
- 1939-1277
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 09/2020
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute
- Record Identifier
- 9984066395202771
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