Single cues enhance contrast sensitivity, but feature singletons do not
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: Goal: Objects appearing in the visual periphery can automatically capture attention. The brief flash of a single cue, for example, rapidly enhances contrast sensitivity for subsequent stimuli in its vicinity. Feature singletons (e.g., a red shape among green ones) can also capture attention in a variety of tasks. Here, we evaluate whether a peripheral cue that enhances contrast sensitivity when it appears alone has a similar effect when it appears as a color singleton, with the same stimuli and task. Methods: Observers discriminated the orientation of a Gabor patch that appeared at one of two isoeccentric locations on opposite sides of an imaginary 45º diagonal. A red or green cue disc was flashed 106 ms before the Gabor’s onset, either near the Gabor’s location (valid cue, 50% likely) or near the opposite location (invalid cue). In a random half of trials the cue disc appeared alone, and in the remainder it was presented amongst 15 others of the opposite hue, all arranged in an isoeccentric ring. The discs’ colors were equated in subjective luminance. Observers were explicitly informed that all the discs were task-irrelevant. Results: By varying the contrast of the Gabor we obtained psychometric functions of performance. In the single cue condition, contrast thresholds as well as response times were lower on valid than invalid trials, indicating that attention was drawn towards the location of unique contrast change against the background. In the singleton condition, however, performance was not affected, indicating that attention was not drawn towards the disc with chromatic contrast relative to all other discs in the display. Thus, feature singletons and single cues shift attention in different ways. Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2012
Source: Journal of Vision
DOI: 10.1167/12.9.1344
Authors: A. White, R. Lunau, M. Carrasco
Institutions: New York University, University of Copenhagen
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,850
OpenAlex ID: W2022537246