Context and competition in the capture of visual attention

Hickey, Clayton; Theeuwes, Jan · 2011 · OpenAlex-citations

DOI: 10.3758/s13414-011-0168-9

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Summary

This study investigates the mechanisms underlying distractor-related costs in visual search, specifically distinguishing between attentional capture and perceptual filtering. Competition-based models of visual attention propose that neural ambiguity is resolved through inhibition, which scales with the number of shared receptive fields (RFs) between stimuli. The authors hypothesized that if distractor costs are caused by attentional capture, they should manifest as RF-scaled interference (increased costs when targets and distractors are closer or in the same visual hemifield). Conversely, if costs stem from perceptual filtering, they should remain static regardless of spatial proximity. The research aimed to determine whether temporal context influences these costs by manipulating whether target-defining features remained consistent or swapped with distractor features across trials. The researchers conducted two experiments using a visual search paradigm where participants identified a target shape among distractors, often in the presence of a salient color singleton distractor. In Experiment 1, participants performed mixed-block trials where target and distractor colors could swap between trials. The authors measured reaction times (RTs) and error rates as a function of target-distractor proximity and hemispheric location (same vs. contralateral hemifields). Results showed significant RF-scaled costs: RTs increased as the target and distractor became closer and when they were presented in the same visual hemifield. Crucially, these RF-scaled effects were present in both "same" trials (where features were consistent with the previous trial) and "swap" trials (where features changed), contradicting the expectation that capture would only occur in swap conditions. Experiment 2 addressed limitations of the first by using pure blocks where target features remained constant, allowing participants to establish a specific attentional set. Additionally, it included a condition where the target was the salient color singleton itself, a scenario where capture is theoretically impossible. The results replicated the RF-scaled proximity and hemispheric effects in the shape-target condition, even when participants could predict the target features. However, in the color-target condition, where the target was the most salient item, these RF-scaled costs were absent. This pattern indicated that the interference observed in the shape-target condition was not merely a static perceptual cost but was linked to the competitive dynamics of attention. The findings suggest that distractor costs in visual search are driven by attentional capture rather than perceptual filtering, as evidenced by the RF-scaled nature of the interference. The persistence of these costs in "same" trials and pure blocks implies that capture occurs even when observers can form an attentional set against distractor features. The absence of RF-scaled costs when the target is the salient singleton confirms that the interference is specific to the competition between a less salient target and a more salient distractor. These results refine competition-based models by demonstrating that capture is a robust mechanism that operates independently of intertrial priming effects, highlighting the dominant role of bottom-up salience in driving neural competition.

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Topics

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• visual search
• attention selective divided