Attentional spreading in object-based attention: The roles of target–object integration and target presentation time

• Published in: Attention, perception & psychophysics perception & psychophysics, 2013-07, Vol.75 (5), p.876-887
• Main Authors: Zhao, Jingjing, Kong, Feng, Wang, Yonghui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activity levels. Psychomotricity; Adult; Attention; Attention - physiology; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Cues; Experiments; Field Dependence-Independence; Form Perception - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Letters; Perception; Photic Stimulation - methods; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Reaction Time - physiology; Stimuli; Studies; Vigilance. Attention. Sleep; Vision; Visual task performance; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1943-3921; 1943-393X
• DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0445-x

What is the best account to explain the object-based attentional benefit—that is, the spread of attention within an attended object or prioritization of search across possible target locations within an attended object? Using a task in which the location of the target was known with certainty, in the present study we systematically manipulated the type (letters or bites) and the presentation time (long or short) of the target and flankers in order to test the effects of target–object integration and target presentation time on object-based attention. The results showed that an object-based effect could appear when the target was a bite, no matter whether the target presentation time was long or short; but when the target was a letter, an object-based effect was only observed when the target presentation time was short enough. These findings provide additional evidence supporting the argument of attentional spreading in object-based attention. However, this spreading is moderated jointly by target–object integration and the target presentation time.