Abstract
These experiments show that the perceptual organization of a multielement display affects both the speed and accuracy with which a target letter in it is detected. The first two experiments show that a target is detected more poorly if it is arranged in good form (a perceptual Gestalt) with noise elements than if it is not. This effect is not confounded with target-noise proximity or display size, and it holds for stimuli terminated by the subject’s response as well as for stimuli of very brief duration. Increasing the number of noise elements can actually improve performance if the added noise elements increase the degree to which the noise elements form perceptual groups separately from the target. A third experiment tries out a new method for scaling the perceptual structure of an array, and it shows that the main features of the first two experiments can be predicted from the scaled perceptual structure of the arrays they used.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Banks, W. P., Bodinger, D., &Illige, M. Visual detection accuracy and target-noise proximity.Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 1974,2, 411–414.
Eriksen, C. W., & Spencer, T. Rate of information processing in visual perception: Some results and methodological considerations.Journal of Experimental Psychology Monographs, 1969,79(No. 2, Part 2).
Estes, W. K., &Taylor, H. A. Visual detection in relation to display size and redundancy of cotical elements.Perception & Psychophysics. 1966,1, 9–16.
Gardner, G. T. Evidence for independent parallel channels in tachistoscopic perception.Cognitive Psychology, 1973,4, 130–155.
Garner, W. R. Good patterns have few alternatives.American Scientist, 1970,58, 34–42.
Johnson, S. C. Hierarchical clustering schemes.Psychometrika, 1967,32, 241–254.
Kahneman, D.Attention and effort. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1973.
Kinchla, R. A. Detecting target elements in multi-element arrays: A confusability model.Perception & Psychophysics, 1974,15, 149–158.
McIntyre, C., Fox, R., &Neale, J. Effects of noise similarity and redundancy on the information processed from brief visual displays.Perception & Psychophysics, 1970,7, 328–332.
Neisser, U.Cognitive psychology. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1967.
Nickerson, R. S. Binary classification reaction time: A review of some studies of human information-processing capabilities.Psychonomic Monograph Supplement, 1972,4(17), 275–318.
Pomerantz, J. R., &Garner, W. R. Stimulus configuration in selective attention tasks.Perception & Psychophysics, 1973,14, 565–569.
Shiffrin, R. M., &Gardner, G. T. Visual processing capacity and attentional control.Journal of Experimental Psychology, 1972,93, 72–82.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This research was supported in part by a Pomona College faculty research grant to W.P.B. and by National Science Foundation Grant BMS 75-20328.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Banks, W.P., Prinzmetal, W. Configurational effects in visual information processing. Perception & Psychophysics 19, 361–367 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204244
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03204244