Feature singletons attract spatial attention independently of feature priming

Yashar, Amit; White, Alex; Fang, Wanghaoming; Carrasco, Marisa

doi:10.1167/17.9.7

Cited by 12 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 68 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…The priming effects of previewed features and location would be additive to maximize benefit in the same-colors experiment, and work in opposite directions to minimize cost in the swapped-colors experiment. Such spatial and feature-based preview effects would be independent, at least partly, and extend a recent finding that singletons attract spatial attention independently of feature priming (Yashar, White, Fang, & Carrasco, 2017) to include conditions of transsaccadic processing.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Feature-based attention across saccades: Pop-out in color search is spatiotopic

Eymond

Cavanagh

Collins

2018

Atten Percept Psychophys

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Our perception of the world remains stable despite the retinal shifts that occur with each saccade. The role of spatial attention in matching pre-to postsaccadic visual information has been well established, but the role of feature-based attention remains unclear. In this study, we examined the transsaccadic processing of a color pop-out target. Participants made a saccade towards a neutral target and performed a search task on a peripheral array presented once the saccade landed. A similar array was presented just before the saccade and we analyzed what aspect of this preview benefitted the postsaccadic search task. We assessed the preview effect in the spatiotopic and retinotopic reference frames, and the potential transfer of feature selectivity across the saccade. In the first experiment, the target and distractor colors remained identical for the preview and the postsaccadic array and performance improved. The largest benefit was observed at the spatiotopic location. In the second experiment, the target and distractor colors were swapped across the saccade. All responses were slowed but the cost was least at the spatiotopic location. Our results show that the preview attracted spatial attention to the target location, which was then remapped, and suggest that previewed features, specifically colors, were transferred across the saccade. Furthermore, the preview induced a spatiotopic advantage regardless of whether the target switched color or not, suggesting that spatiotopy was established independently of feature processing. Our results support independent priming effects of features versus location and underline the role of featurebased selection in visual stability.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Feature-based attention across saccades: Pop-out in color search is spatiotopic

Eymond

Cavanagh

Collins

2018

Atten Percept Psychophys

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“…Previous studies have reported no significant differences between upper versus lower locations along the intercardinal meridians, with intermediate performance relative to the VM and HM for stimuli presented at 45º within the four quadrants (e.g., Abrams et al, 2012;Cameron et al, 2002;Carrasco et al, 2004;Fuller & Carrasco, 2009). The fact that no significant difference emerges at 45º in most visual tasks has been used to justify collapsing performance across the four intercardinal isoeccentric locations (e.g., Barbot & Carrasco, 2017;Guzman-Martinez et al, 2011;Ling & Carrasco, 2006a, 2006bLiu & Mance, 2011;Montagna, Pestilli & Carrasco, 2009;Sawaki & Luck, 2013;Yashar et al, 2017). It is worth noting, however, that in the present study, a slight VMA asymmetry in SF sensitivity was still observed at 45º, which is consistent with the presence of a marginal asymmetry in contrast sensitivity at 45º (Abrams et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Asymmetries in visual acuity around the visual field

Barbot¹,

Xue²,

Carrasco³

2020

Preprint

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Human vision is heterogeneous across the visual field. At a fixed eccentricity, performance is better along the horizontal than the vertical meridian, and better along the lower than the upper vertical meridian. These asymmetric patterns, termed performance fields, have been found in numerous visual tasks, including those mediated by contrast sensitivity and spatial resolution. However, it is unknown whether spatial resolution asymmetries are confined to the cardinal meridia or whether, and how far, they extend into the upper and lower hemifields. Here, we measured the extent of the vertical meridian asymmetry by assessing spatial frequency (SF) sensitivity at isoeccentric peripheral locations (10 degree eccentricity), every 15º of polar angle. On each trial, observers judged the orientation (±45º) of a suprathreshold grating stimulus varying in spatial frequency. We estimated 75%-correct SF thresholds, SF cutoff points (i.e., chance-level) and slopes of the psychometric function for each of the 24 isoeccentric locations. We found higher SF sensitivity in the lower than the upper hemifield, with this asymmetry being most pronounced at the vertical meridian and decreasing gradually as the angular distance from the vertical meridian increased. This gradual change in SF sensitivity with polar angle reflected a shift of the psychometric function without reliable changes in slope. The same pattern was found under binocular and monocular conditions. These findings advance our understanding of visual processing around the visual field and help constrain models of visual perception.

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“…Relevant information can come in several forms other than explicit current goals. For instance, information may be relevant based on the history of prior selections (e.g., Hickey et al, 2010 ; Awh et al, 2012 ; Yashar et al, 2017 ), permanent self-related goals such as one’s own name (e.g., Moray, 1959 ; Bargh, 1982 ), culture-related goals (e.g., Brosch and Sharma, 2005 ), or even phylogenetically implicit goals to perceive ecologically important stimuli such as potentially dangerous stimuli (e.g., Öhman et al, 2001 ; Flykt, 2005 ; New et al, 2007 ; Penkunas and Coss, 2013 ; Yorzinski et al, 2014 ) or salient, unique stimuli, as this study suggests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Top-Down Prioritization of Salient Items May Produce the So-Called Stimulus-Driven Capture

Benoni

2018

Front. Psychol.

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The current study proposes that top-down attentional prioritization of salient items may produce the so-called stimulus-driven capture. To test this proposal, the "expectationbased paradigm" was designed on the basis of a visual search task. In Experiment 1, a task-irrelevant singleton frame was presented at the same location in 70% of the trials. The target was either presented at chance level within the singleton location, or away from it. In line with the singleton capture phenomenon, participants were faster in identifying the target when it appeared in the singleton location compared to non-singleton locations. However, leaving out the singleton frame in 30% of the trials led to a similar effect; participants were faster in identifying the target when it appeared in the expected singleton location compared to expected non-singletons locations (a "quasicapture" effect). These results suggest that the participants allocated their attention to the expected singleton location, rather than that the singleton itself captured attention. In Experiment 2, the same task-irrelevant color singleton was presented in a random position in 70% of the trials. This color frame was shown as a non-singleton in all of the 30% singleton-absent multicolored trials. A similar facilitation effect was obtained when the target appeared in the expected singleton color frame compared to other frames, in singleton-absent trials as in singleton-present trials. These results further support the idea that instances of singleton capture can be explained by top-down attentional shifts toward singleton items. Theoretical implications of these results are discussed. Mostly, the study calls to consider the possibility that all sources of attentional control may be represented by a continuous variable of top-down control, including the category of "physical salience."

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Feature singletons attract spatial attention independently of feature priming

Cited by 12 publications

References 68 publications

Feature-based attention across saccades: Pop-out in color search is spatiotopic

Feature-based attention across saccades: Pop-out in color search is spatiotopic

Asymmetries in visual acuity around the visual field

Top-Down Prioritization of Salient Items May Produce the So-Called Stimulus-Driven Capture

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