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Using a filtering task to measure the spatial extent of selective attention
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Using a filtering task to measure the spatial extent of selective attention

John Palmer and Cathleen M Moore
Vision research (Oxford), Vol.49(10), pp.1045-1064
06/02/2009
DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2008.02.022
PMCID: PMC2767212
PMID: 18405935
url
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.visres.2008.02.022View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

The spatial extent of attention was investigated by measuring sensitivity to stimuli at to-be-ignored locations. Observers detected a stimulus at a cued location (target), while ignoring otherwise identical stimuli at nearby locations (foils). Only an attentional cue distinguished target from foil. Several experiments varied the contrast and separation of targets and foils. Two theories of selection were compared: contrast gain and a version of attention switching called an all-or-none mixture model. Results included large effects of separation, rejection of the contrast gain model, and the measurement of the size and profile of the spatial extent of attention.
Filtering paradigm Attention switching Spatial tuning functions Attention Contrast gain

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