Attentional capture by color without any relevant attentional set

Turatto, Massimo; Galfano, Giovanni · 2001 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3758/bf03194469

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study investigates whether color can trigger purely stimulus-driven (bottom-up) attentional capture in the absence of a relevant attentional set. While previous research established that abrupt onsets capture attention automatically, evidence for color singletons doing so without top-down guidance was controversial. The authors argue that prior inconsistencies may stem from experimental designs where subjects could employ a "singleton detection mode" (a broad top-down strategy) rather than a "feature search mode" (a narrow strategy focused on specific target attributes). To address this, the researchers conducted three visual search experiments using a T-L task, where subjects searched for a rotated T among rotated Ls. This task forces serial search and prevents the use of singleton detection strategies, ensuring that any capture by a color distractor is truly stimulus-driven. The experimental design utilized a "distance method" rather than varying set sizes. Displays consisted of disk elements containing letters, with one disk differing in color (the singleton) from the others. The critical independent variable was the spatial distance between the target and the color singleton. Experiment 1 used naive subjects to determine if an irrelevant color singleton captured attention. Experiment 2A tested whether capture persisted even when the singleton’s position was negatively correlated with the target’s location (making capture detrimental). Experiment 2B examined if strategic knowledge could prevent this capture, while Experiment 3 distinguished between a spatial shift of attention and a filtering cost hypothesis. Results from Experiment 1 demonstrated that naive subjects exhibited faster response times and lower error rates when the target appeared in the color singleton’s location compared to distant locations, indicating involuntary attentional capture. This effect diminished slightly in a second session, suggesting subjects could learn to ignore the distractor. Crucially, Experiment 2A showed that attention was still captured by the color singleton even when it signaled the least likely target position, proving the capture was not driven by strategic expectancy. However, Experiment 2B revealed that when subjects were explicitly informed about the negative correlation, they could strategically suppress the capture. Finally, Experiment 3 provided evidence supporting the spatial shift hypothesis over the filtering cost hypothesis, showing that target detection was faster at the singleton location than in displays without a singleton. The findings provide experimental support for contemporary models of visual attention, demonstrating that color singletons can summon attention in a purely bottom-up manner when no relevant attentional set exists. The study clarifies that while color capture is automatic under these conditions, it is not obligatory; observers can strategically inhibit it if they possess specific knowledge about the distractor’s validity. This distinguishes color capture from onset capture and highlights the complex interaction between bottom-up saliency and top-down control in visual selection.

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Topics

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• attention selective divided
• inattentional change blindness
• visual search