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Covert visual attention and extrafoveal information use during object identification

Perception & Psychophysics volume 45, pages 196–208 (1989)Cite this article

Abstract

Three experiments are reported that examined the relationship between covert visual attention and a viewer’s ability to use extrafoveal visual information during object identification. Subjects looked at arrays of four objects while their eye movements were recorded. Their task was to identify the objects in the array for an immediate probe memory test. During viewing, the number and location of objects visible during given fixations were manipulated. In Experiments 1 and 2, we found that multiple extrafoveal previews of an object did not afford any more benefit than a single extrafoveal preview, as assessed by means of time of fixation on the objects. In Experiment 3, we found evidence for a model in which extrafoveal information acquired during a fixation derives primarily from the location toward which the eyes will move next. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the relationship between covert visual attention and extrafoveal information use, and a sequential attention model is proposed.

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Affiliations

  1. University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts

    Alexander Pollatsek & Keith Rayner

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Alberta, P-220 Biological Sciences Building, T6G 2E9, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    John M. Henderson

Authors
  1. John M. Henderson
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  2. Alexander Pollatsek
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  3. Keith Rayner
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Additional information

The research presented in this article was supported by NIMH Predoctorai Training Grant MH16745 to John M. Henderson, and by NSF Grant BNS86-09336 to Keith Rayner and Alexander Pollatsek. This research derives from a doctoral dissertation submitted by John M. Henderson to the University of Massachusetts. Aspects of the data were presented at the 1987 meeting of the Psychonomic Society in Seattle and the 1988 meeting of the Canadian Psychological Association in Montreal.

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Henderson, J.M., Pollatsek, A. & Rayner, K. Covert visual attention and extrafoveal information use during object identification. Perception & Psychophysics 45, 196–208 (1989). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210697

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210697

Keywords

  • Fixation Duration
  • Preview Benefit
  • Covert Attention
  • Ordinal Position
  • Display Change