Abstract
Abrupt onsets in the visual field can change the appearance of subsequent stimuli, according to one interpretation, by engaging an attentional mechanism that increases effective stimulus contrast. However, abrupt onsets can also engage capacity-unlimited and thus attention-independent sensory mechanisms. We conducted a series of experiments to differentiate the sensory and attentional accounts. Observers compared the contrasts of uncued low-contrast peripheral targets with simultaneous targets cued by one of three cue types with different sensory attributes: white or black peripheral abrupt onsets and central gaze direction cues devoid of sensory activity near the target locations. Each cue facilitated the perception of perithreshold targets; however, the white abrupt onsets increased the perceived contrast of suprathreshold targets, whereas the black abrupt onsets tended to reduce the perceived contrast, and the gaze direction cues had no significant effect. The effectiveness of the gaze direction cues in automatically orienting attention was demonstrated in a control experiment in which they consistently speeded response times. The results suggest that sensory interaction, and not attention, is responsible for changes in appearance.
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Support was provided by NEI Grant EY01319, NIH Grants DC-04418, R01MH-64043, P50MH-62196, and T32MH-065214, and by grants from the McDonnell-Pew Foundation and the Whitehall Foundation. Experiments 1 and 3 were conducted in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Center for Visual Science at the University of Rochester. Experiments 2 and 4 were conducted in the Department of Psychology and the Center for the Study of Brain, Mind, and Behavior at Princeton University
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Schneider, K.A. Does attention alter appearance?. Perception & Psychophysics 68, 800–814 (2006). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193703
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03193703
Keywords
- Abrupt Onset
- Comparative Judgment
- Contrast Level
- Contrast Polarity
- Equality Judgment