Work

The role of attention in the binding of surface features to locations

Year: 2008

Type: article

Abstract: Previous studies have proposed that attention is not necessary for detecting simple features but is necessary for binding them to spatial locations. The present study tested this hypothesis, using the N2pc component of the event-related potential waveform as a measure of the allocation of attention. A simple feature detection condition, in which observers reported whether a target color was present or not, was compared with feature-location binding conditions, in which observers reported the location of the target color. A larger N2pc component was observed in the binding conditions than in the detection condition, indicating that additional attentional resources are needed to bind a feature to a location than to detect the feature independently of its location. This finding supports theories of attention in which attention plays a special role in binding features.

Source: Visual Cognition

DOI: 10.1080/13506280802113894

Authors: Joo-seok Hyun, Geoffrey F. Woodman, Steven J. Luck

Institutions: Brandeis University, Vanderbilt University, University of California, Davis

Language: English

Topic: Visual perception and processing mechanisms

Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience

Field: Neuroscience

Domain: Life Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Institute of Mental Health

Awards: VISUAL WORKING MEMORY IN VISUAL SEARCH TASKS, Attentional Mechanisms in Perception and Working Memory, Cognitive Neuroscience of Attention and Working Memory in Schizophrenia