Activation of New Attentional Templates for Real-world Objects in Visual Search

Nako, Rebecca; Smith, Tim J.; Eimer, Martin · 2015 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_00747

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Summary

This study investigates how attentional templates for visual search are activated when target objects are defined by verbal descriptions rather than visual images. While previous research established that picture cues facilitate faster search than word cues, it remained unclear whether this deficit stems from inefficient early attentional selection or later identification processes. The authors aimed to determine if verbal cues can effectively guide spatial attention and whether a single visual encounter with a target is sufficient to establish a precise attentional template. The researchers employed event-related potentials (ERPs) to track the N2pc component, a neural marker of covert spatial attention to targets among distractors. In the main experiment, 14 participants performed a visual search task where each trial run began with a word cue specifying a target object. This cue was followed by three successive search displays containing the target among three distractors. A control experiment with eight participants replaced word cues with picture cues identical to the target. The design allowed for comparison of attentional selection during the first display (guided solely by the verbal cue) versus subsequent displays (guided by prior visual experience). The authors also analyzed the effect of "imageability"—the extent to which a word cue constrains visual attributes—by categorizing targets based on reaction times in the first display. Behavioral results showed that reaction times were significantly slower for the first search display (733 ms) compared to the second and third displays (~466 ms). Electrophysiological data revealed that the N2pc component was attenuated and delayed (onset at 226 ms) for the first display relative to subsequent displays (onset at ~189 ms). This delay and attenuation were strongly modulated by imageability: highly imageable objects elicited robust N2pc components in the first display, whereas low-imageability objects showed no significant N2pc. However, these differences vanished in the second and third displays, indicating that a single perceptual encounter normalized attentional selection efficiency regardless of initial imageability. In the control experiment using picture cues, N2pc amplitudes and latencies were consistent across all three displays, confirming that the deficits observed in the main experiment were specific to verbal cueing. The findings demonstrate that verbal descriptions are inferior to visual images for activating precise attentional templates, resulting in slower and less efficient early attentional selection. The study provides evidence that attentional templates are analog visual representations rather than abstract propositional codes. Furthermore, it establishes that while verbal cues vary in effectiveness based on object imageability, a single visual encounter is sufficient to override these limitations and establish an efficient template. This highlights the critical role of visual experience in optimizing the control of visual search.

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• visual search