The Library

Target absent trials in configural contextual cuing

Tools

Kunar, Melina A. and Wolfe, Jeremy M.. (2011) Target absent trials in configural contextual cuing. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, Vol.73 (No.7). pp. 2077-2091. ISSN 1943-3921

Preview

PDF
WRAP_Kunar_091111-kunarwolfe_app_inpress.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (554Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/s13414-011-0164-0

Abstract

In contextual cueing (CC), reaction times to find targets in repeated displays are faster than in displays that have never been seen before. This has been demonstrated using target-distractor configurations, global background colors, naturalistic scenes and the co-variation of target with distractors. The majority of CC studies have used displays where the target is always present. This paper investigates what happens when the target is sometimes absent. Experiment 1 shows that, although configural CC occurs in displays when the target is always present, there is no CC when the target is always absent. Experiment 2 shows that there is no CC when the same spatial layout can be both target present and target absent on different trials. The presence of distractors in locations that contain targets on other trials appears to interfere with CC and even disrupts the expression of previously learned contexts (Experiments 3-5). The results show that it is the target-distractor associations that are important in producing CC and, consistent with a response selection account, changing the response type from an orientation task to a detection task removes the CC effect.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Faculty of Science > Psychology
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Searching behavior, Visual perception, Reaction time
Journal or Publication Title:	Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	1943-3921
Official Date:	21 June 2011
Volume:	Vol.73
Number:	No.7
Page Range:	pp. 2077-2091
Identification Number:	10.3758/s13414-011-0164-0
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
Funder:	National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH)
Grant number:	MH56020 (NIH)
References:	Biederman, I. (1972). Perceiving real-world scenes. Science, 177, 77-80. Brady, T. F. and Chun, M. M. (2007). Spatial constraints on learning in visual search: Modeling contextual cueing. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance, 33(4), 798-815. Brainard, D. H. (1997). The Psychophysics Toolbox. Spatial Vision, 10, 443-446 Brockmole, J. R., Castelhano, M. S., & Henderson, J. M. (2006). Contextual cueing in naturalistic scenes: Global and local contexts. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 32,699-706. Brockmole, J. R., & Henderson, J. M. (2006). Using real-world scenes as contextual cues during search. Visual Cognition, 13, 99-108. Chun, M. M. (2000). Contextual cueing of visual attention. Trends in Cognitive Science, 4, 170-178. Chun, M. M., & Jiang, Y. (1998). Contextual cueing: implicit learning and memory of visual context guides spatial attention. Cognitive Psychology, 36, 28-71. Chun, M. M., & Jiang, Y. (1999). Top-down Attentional Guidance Based on Implicit Learning of Visual Covariation. Psychological Science, 10, 360-365. Chun, M. M., & Jiang, Y. (2003). Implicit, long-term spatial contextual memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition, 29, 224-234. Chun, M.M. & Wolfe, J.M. (1996) Just Say No: How Are Visual Searches Terminated When There Is No Target Present? Cognitive Psychology, 30, 39-78 [ Cohen, A. & Shoup, R. (1997). Perceptual dimensional constraints on response selection processes. Cognitive Psychology, 32, 128-181. Duncan, J., & Humphreys, G.W. (1989). Visual search and stimulus similarity. Psychological Review. 96, 433-458. Egeth, H. E., Virzi, R. A., Garbart, H. (1984). "Searching for conjunctively defined targets" Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10, 32 – 39. Ehinger, K. A., & Brockmole, J. R. (2008). The role of color in visual search in real-world scenes: Evidence from contextual cueing. Perception & Psychophysics, 70, 1366-1378. Endo, N., & Takeda, Y. (2004). Selective learning of spatial configuration and object identity in visual search. Perception & Psychophysics, 66(2), 293-302. Feintuch, U. & Cohen, A. (2002). Visual attention and coactivation of response decisions for features from different dimensions. Psychological Science, 13, 361-369. Hoffmann, J., & Sebald, A. (2005). Local contextual cuing in visual search. Experimental Psychology, 52(1), 31-38. Jiang, Y., & Chun, M. M. (2001). Selective Attention Modulates Implicit Learning. The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (A), 54(4), 1105-1124. Jiang, Y., & Leung A.W. (2005). Implicit learning of ignored visual context. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(1), 100-106 Jiang, Y., Song, J-H, & Rigas, A (2005). High-capacity spatial contextual memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(3), 524-529. Jiang, Y. & Wagner, L.C. (2004). What is learned in spatial contextual cuing – configuration or individual locations? Perception & Psychophysics, 66(3), 454-463. Johnson, J.S., Woodman, G.F., Braun, E., & Luck, S.J. (2007). Implicit memory influences the allocation of attention in visual cortex. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 14, 834-839. Jungé, J. A., Scholl, B. J., & Chun, M. M. (2007). How is spatial context learning integrated over time?: A primacy effect in contextual cueing. Visual Cognition, 15(1), 1 - 11. Kunar, M.A., Flusberg, S.J., Horowitz, T.S., & Wolfe, J.M., (2007). Does contextual cueing guide the deployment of attention? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 33, 816-828. Kunar, M.A., Flusberg, S.J., & Wolfe, J.M. (2006). Contextual cueing by global features. Perception & Psychophysics, 68, 1204 - 1216. Kunar, M.A., Flusberg, S.J., & Wolfe, J.M. (2008a). Time to Guide: Evidence for Delayed Attentional Guidance in Contextual Cueing. Visual Cognition, 16, 804-825. Kunar, M.A., Flusberg, S.J., & Wolfe, J.M. (2008b). The role of memory and restricted context in repeated visual search. Perception & Psychophysics, 70, 314-328. Lleras, A., & Von Mühlenen, A. (2004). Spatial context and top-down strategies in visual search. Spatial Vision, 17(4-5), 465-482. Makovski, T., & Jiang, Y.V. (2010). Contextual cost: When a visual-search target is not where it should be. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 63(2), 216-225. Oliva, A., Wolfe, J. & Arsenio, H. (2004). Panoramic search: The interaction of memory and vision in search through a familiar scene. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. 30, 1132-1146. Olson, I.R. & Chun, M. M. (2002). Perceptual constraints on implicit learning of spatial context. Visual Cognition, 9(3), 273-302. Pelli, D. G. (1997) The VideoToolbox software for visual psychophysics: Transforming numbers into movies, Spatial Vision, 10, 437-442. Reber, A.S. (1989). Implicit learning and tacit knowledge. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 118, 219-235. Schankin, A., & Schubö, A. (2009). Cognitive processes facilitated by contextual cueing. Evidence from event-related brain potentials. Psychophysiology, 46, 668-679. Theeuwes, J. (1992). Perceptual selectivity for color and form. Perception & Psychophysics, 51, 599-606. Treisman, A., & Gelade, G. (1980). A feature-integration theory of attention. Cognitive Psychology, 12, 97-136. Tseng, Y., & Li, C.R. (2004). Oculomotor correlates of context-guided learning in visual search. Perception & Psychophysics, 66(8), 1363-1378. Wolfe, J.M., Cave, K.R., & Franzel, S.L. (1989). Guided search: An alternative to the feature integration model for visual search. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 15, 419-433. Wolfe, J.M., Klempen, N. & Dahlen, K. (2000). Postattentive vision. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 26, 693-716. Wolfe, J.M., and VanWert, M.J. (2010). Varying target prevalence reveals two, dissociable decision criteria in visual search. Current Biology, 20, 121-124. Yantis, S., & Jonides, J. (1984). Abrupt visual onsets and selective attention: Evidence from visual search. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 10, 601-621.
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/39226