Blinks of the mind: Memory effects of attentional processes.

Abstract

If 2 words are presented successively within 500 ms, subjects often miss the 2nd word. This attentional blink reflects a limited capacity to attend to incoming information. Memory effects were studied for words that fell within an attentional blink. Unrelated words were presented in a modified rapid serial visual presentation task at varying stimulus-onset asynchronies, and attention was systematically manipulated. Subsequently, recognition, repetition priming, and semantic priming were measured separately in 3 experiments. Unidentified words showed no recognition and no repetition priming. However, blinked (i.e., unidentified) words did produce semantic priming in related words. When, for instance, ring was blinked, it was easier to subsequently identify wedding than apple. In contrast, when the blinked word itself was presented again, it was not easier to identify than an unrelated word. Possible interpretations of this paradoxical finding are discussed.

Spreading the sparing: against a limited-capacity account of the attentional blink

“…By precueing T2 with a similar distractor, the engagement is speeded, leading to better detection. Similar pre-cueing effects have been found on a semantic level, such that T2 performance improves whenever T1 or one of the intervening distractors is of the same semantic category (Maki, Frigen, & Paulson, 1997;Martens, Wolters, & Van Raamsdonk, 2002;Potter, Dell'Acqua, Pesciarelli, Job, & Peressotti, 2005). The reverse also appears to occur: at least for short lags, a semantic relationship with T2 also improves T1 detection (Maki et al, 1997;Potter et al, 2005).…”

T1 difficulty affects the AB: manipulating T1 word frequency and T1 orthographic neighbor frequency

“…The implications of the T1 frequency effect for theories of the AB depend upon whether the theories apply equally to the traditional digit and letter stimuli and to the more complex stimuli used here. Experiment 3 and previous studies of the AB with word targets (e.g., Martens, Wolters, & van Raamsdonk, 2002) and other complex stimuli (Raymond & O'Brien, 2009) suggest that the AB takes a similar form over a variety of target types. However, because the theories have mainly addressed the findings with simple, highly familiar stimuli such as digits and letters, it must be acknowledged that the additional encoding demands of words may be somewhat beyond the scope of some theories of the AB.…”

Strength of visual percept generated by famous faces perceived without awareness: Effects of affective valence, response latency, and visual field

“…Another implication is that modulation of postperceptual processing by identity-dependent affective valence could result in enhanced or weakened awareness of the stimulus. Both of these models (Martens et al, 2002;Vogel et al, 1998) Any of these conceptual accounts could explain how an identity-dependent attribute of a stimulus (e.g., affective valence) can modify the strength of the consciously experienced visual percept in the absence of awareness of stimulus identity or even of stimulus familiarity.…”

“…It was expected that the perceptual comparison would be moderated by the participants' affective response to the famous face. Several conceptual accounts have been proposed to explain how feedback connections from high-level attributes of a stimulus can modify the strength of earlier perceptual representations of the stimulus (e.g., Di Lollo, Enns, & Rensink, 2000;Kanwisher, 2001;Martens, Wolters, & van Raamsdonk, 2002;Vogel, Luck, & Shapiro, 1998). These accounts propose that a stimulus proceeds through stages of processing from early perceptual analysis to identification and extraction of identity-dependent properties, e.g., affective valence.…”