Information processing in visual search: A continuous flow conception and experimental results

Eriksen, Charles W.; Schultz, Derek W. · 1979 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/bf03198804

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Summary

This paper challenges traditional discrete-stage models of visual search by proposing a "continuous flow" conception of information processing. The authors argue that visual information accumulates gradually in the sensory system, concurrently priming potential responses, rather than proceeding through distinct, sequential stages of input, decision, and output. This perspective is motivated by evidence that noise interference affects performance even when target location is known and search is unnecessary, suggesting that interference occurs at early perceptual and response levels rather than solely at a central decision stage. To test this hypothesis, the authors conducted three experiments. Experiment 1 utilized a nonsearch paradigm where subjects identified a target letter (A or H) presented at a fixed, precued location, flanked by noise letters. The study manipulated the relative processing time of the target versus noise by varying target size and figure-ground contrast. In the "size" condition, the target was larger than the noise; in the "contrast" condition, the target had lower contrast than the noise. Noise compatibility was also varied: compatible noise consisted of repetitions of the target, while incompatible noise consisted of the alternative target letter. Experiment 3 employed an asynchronous onset of target and noise to further examine the accumulative nature of information and response priming. The results from Experiment 1 supported the continuous flow model. Reaction times (RT) were fastest when the target was larger than the noise, as the target reached recognition criterion before incompatible responses were heavily primed. Conversely, RTs were slowest when the target had lower contrast than the noise, allowing incompatible noise responses to achieve higher priming levels before the target was recognized. The size/contrast condition yielded intermediate latencies. Crucially, noise compatibility significantly affected RTs, with incompatible noise causing greater interference than compatible noise. This interference persisted even when the target location was known, ruling out models based solely on search time or positional uncertainty. The findings indicate that subjects cannot restrict attention to a single letter; instead, surrounding noise is processed in parallel, activating competing responses that inhibit the correct response until the target percept is sufficiently distinct. The significance of these findings lies in the rejection of discrete-stage models where a decision process blocks access of competing stimuli to the response system. Instead, the authors conclude that visual processing involves a continuous flow where information accumulates over time, and responses are primed concurrently. Interference arises from response competition, where incompatible noise primes alternative responses that inhibit the target response. This model accounts for the pervasive effects of noise in visual search, integrating early perceptual factors like acuity and contrast with response-level dynamics. The study implies that the human information processor is limited by its inability to simultaneously activate conflicting responses, and that performance is determined by the relative timing of target recognition versus the priming of competing noise responses.

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Topics

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• visual search
• inattentional change blindness