Exogenous attention and color perception: Performance and appearance of saturation and hue

Abstract

Exogenous covert attention is an automatic, transient form of attention that can be triggered by sudden changes in the periphery. Here we test for the effects of attention on color perception. We used the methodology developed by Carrasco, Ling, and Read [Carrasco, M., Ling, S., & Read, S. (2004). Attention alters appearance. Nature Neuroscience, 7 (3) 308-313] to explore the effects of exogenous attention on appearance of saturation (Experiment 1) and of hue (Experiment 2). We also tested orientation discrimination performance for single stimuli defined by saturation or hue (Experiment 3). The results indicate that attention increases apparent saturation, but does not change apparent hue, notwithstanding the fact that it improves orientation discrimination for both saturation and hue stimuli.

The Impact of Color and Animation on Sports Viewers’ Attention to Televised Sponsorship Signage

“…Saturation refers to the purity of a color that can be defined on a scale from unsaturated (i.e., achromatic) to saturated (i.e., monochromatic) colors (Labrecque & Milne, 2012). The CIELAB model strictly separates between the three color dimensions, since hue, luminance and saturation are perceived independently in the visual system (Fuller & Carrasco, 2006). For example, the viewer's ability to distinguish between two different hues is not facilitated by the proportional increase in luminance or saturation.…”

Cross-modal attention enhances perceived contrast

“…By computing the contrast that is necessary for the attended stimulus to match the apparent contrast of the unattended stimulus, this paradigm allows one to measure the change that attention effects on the perceived contrast of a stimulus. This paradigm, coupled with control experiments, has ruled out alternative cue bias and response bias explanations (9,(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18).…”

Investigating Visual Alerting in Complex Command and Control Environments

“…Peripheral vision picks up subtle shifts in energy patterns that help direct attention (Fuller & Carrasco, 2006, Jonides, 1981Yantis & Jonides, 1990), which is one reason why ''flashing'' is often used as a means of attracting attention. In Experiment 1 an on-off flashing cycle did not improve detectability, and this finding is generally inconsistent with other research.…”