Dataset Information

A region complexity effect masquerading as object-based attention.

ABSTRACT: A large portion of the evidence for object-based attention comes from experiments using the two-rectangle paradigm introduced by Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994), in which response times are longer when the two stimulus locations relevant to the task are on separate objects. In the new experiments presented here, response times are longer when the two locations are part of the same object but are separated by a concavity in the object, so that the region directly between the two locations is crossed by the object's boundaries. Response times when the two locations are separated by the concavity are not statistically different from when they are on two separate objects. The results are similar for a two-letter comparison task and for a spatial cuing task. Thus, in these experiments, the response time increase does not reflect the cost of shifting attention from object to object, because it appears when the two locations are on the same object, and it is not increased when they are on different objects. Instead, it seems to reflect the complexity of the region between the two stimulus locations. This finding raises questions about whether data from previous two-rectangle experiments should be attributed to object-based attention.

SUBMITTER: Chen Z

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7424119 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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A region complexity effect masquerading as object-based attention.

Chen Zhe Z Cave Kyle R KR Basu Deeptanshu D Suresh Sweta S Wiltshire Jonathan J

Journal of vision 20200701 7

A large portion of the evidence for object-based attention comes from experiments using the two-rectangle paradigm introduced by Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994), in which response times are longer when the two stimulus locations relevant to the task are on separate objects. In the new experiments presented here, response times are longer when the two locations are part of the same object but are separated by a concavity in the object, so that the region directly between the two locations is cross ...[more]

PMID: 32692828

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Project description:Hemispatial neglect ('neglect') is a disabling condition that can follow damage to the right side of the brain, in which patients show difficulty in responding to or orienting towards objects and events that occur on the left side of space. Symptoms of neglect can manifest in both space- and object-based frames of reference. Although patients can show a combination of these two forms of neglect, they are considered separable and have distinct neurological bases. In recent years considerable evidence has emerged to demonstrate that spatial symptoms of neglect can be reduced by an intervention called prism adaptation. Patients point towards objects viewed through prismatic lenses that shift the visual image to the right. Approximately five minutes of repeated pointing results in a leftward recalibration of pointing and improved performance on standard clinical tests for neglect. The understanding of prism adaptation has also been advanced through studies of healthy participants, in whom adaptation to leftward prismatic shifts results in temporary neglect-like performance. Here we examined the effect of prism adaptation on the performance of healthy participants who completed a computerised test of space- and object-based attention. Participants underwent adaptation to leftward- or rightward-shifting prisms, or performed neutral pointing according to a between-groups design. Significant pointing after-effects were found for both prism groups, indicating successful adaptation. In addition, the results of the computerised test revealed larger reaction-time costs associated with shifts of attention between two objects compared to shifts of attention within the same object, replicating previous work. However there were no differences in the performance of the three groups, indicating that prism adaptation did not influence space- or object-based attention for this task. When combined with existing literature, the results are consistent with the proposal that prism adaptation may only perturb cognitive functions for which normal baseline performance is already biased.

Dataset Information

A region complexity effect masquerading as object-based attention.

Publications

A region complexity effect masquerading as object-based attention.

Similar Datasets

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