Target-noise separation in visual selective attention

Several studies have reported a decrease of interference caused by the categorical nature of noise stimuli, i.e., identity-dependent interference, with increasing physical target-noise separation. Such a result is generally regarded as evidence in favour of precategorical selection (‘beam-of-spot-li...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta psychologica 1986-06, Vol.62 (2), p.161-176
Main Authors: Hagenaar, Ruchama, van der Heijden, A.H.C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Attention
Female
Humans
Male
Psychophysics
Space life sciences
Visual Perception
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Summary:Several studies have reported a decrease of interference caused by the categorical nature of noise stimuli, i.e., identity-dependent interference, with increasing physical target-noise separation. Such a result is generally regarded as evidence in favour of precategorical selection (‘beam-of-spot-light’) views of attention. Analysis of these studies, however, reveals that target-noise distance covaried with distance of the noise elements from the fixation point, that is, with retinal acuity. In this study, two experiments are reported in which identity-dependent interference in a colour-naming task (the ‘Stroop effect’) was investigated as a function of colour-noise separation. All stimulus elements were projected on positions of equal retinal acuity. No effect of target-noise separation was observed. The results are interpreted as evidence in favour of postcategorical-selection views; selective attention deals with identified information and has its function in the programming and execution of further actions like memory storage and overt responding.
ISSN:0001-6918
1873-6297
DOI:10.1016/0001-6918(86)90066-1