Abstract
Six experiments investigated the role of global (shape) and local (contour) orientation in visual search for an orientation target. Experiment 1 demonstrated thatsearch for a conjunction of local contours with a distinct global orientation was less efficient than search for a target featurally distinct in terms of both global and local contour orientation. However, Experiments 2 and 4 demonstrated that the presence of a unique line contour was neither sufficient nor necessary to allow efficient search. Experiment 5 found thatsearch for a local orientation difference was strongly impeded by irrelevant variation in global orientation, arguing for a preeminent role for global orientation. Finally, Experiment 6 demonstrated that the orientation search asymmetry holds for the global orientation of stimuli. Taken together, the results are consistent with visual search processes guided predominately by a representation of global orientation.
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This research was supported by Economic and Social Research Council Grant R00235913 to H.J.M. and N. Donnelly.
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Found, A., Müller, H.J. Local and global orientation in visual search. Perception & Psychophysics 59, 941–963 (1997). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205510
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03205510