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The Spatial Distribution of Attention within and across Objects
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

The Spatial Distribution of Attention within and across Objects

Andrew Hollingworth, Ashleigh M Maxcey-Richard and Shaun P Vecera
Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance, Vol.38(1), pp.135-151
02/2012
DOI: 10.1037/a0024463
PMCID: PMC3224866
PMID: 21728455
url
https://doi.org/10.1037/a0024463View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Attention operates to select both spatial locations and perceptual objects. However, the specific mechanism by which attention is oriented to objects is not well understood. We examined the means by which object structure constrains the distribution of spatial attention (i.e., a “grouped array”). Using a modified version of the Egly et al. object cuing task, we systematically manipulated within-object distance and object boundaries. Four major findings are reported: 1) spatial attention forms a gradient across the attended object; 2) object boundaries limit the distribution of this gradient, with the spread of attention constrained by a boundary; 3) boundaries within an object operate similarly to across-object boundaries: we observed object-based effects across a discontinuity within a single object, without the demand to divide or switch attention between discrete object representations; and 4) the gradient of spatial attention across an object directly modulates perceptual sensitivity, implicating a relatively early locus for the grouped array representation.

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