Target-distractor feature alternation is critical in singleton priming
Year: 2004
Type: article
Abstract: Studies of singleton search have found that response times may be decreased by priming the defining dimensions (Muller, Heller & Ziegler, 1995) or defining features (Maljkovic & Nakayama, 1994) of singletons. This phenomenon has been viewed as the direct enhancement or impairment of the relevant dimensions or features. A factor not considered in this work has been whether the set of target features and distractor features overlap. In Experiment 1 we found that, when the target feature of one trial can become the distractor feature of another trial (and vice versa), there was little dimension-priming effect. Experiment 2 was similar to Experiment 1, but target feature could not become a distractor feature (and vice versa); here we found a significant dimension-priming effect. In Experiment 3, we found that when target feature never become distractor feature (and vice versa), there was little feature-priming effect. Experiment 4 was similar to Experiment 3, but here the target feature of one trial could become the distractor feature of another trial (and vice versa), yielding a significant feature-priming effect. These experiments argue against previous singleton-priming accounts that posit direct enhancement or impairment of particular dimensions or features. We propose, as an alternative to such accounts, that both dimension priming and feature priming reflect a cost associated with inconsistent assignment of target and distractor features (Schneider & Shiffrin, 1977).
Source: Journal of Vision
DOI: 10.1167/4.8.675
Authors: L. Huang, H. Pashler
Institution: University of California San Diego
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
OpenAlex ID: W1998521096