Visual search guidance uses coarser template information than target-match decisions

Yu, Xinger; Johal, Simran K.; Geng, Joy J. · 2022 · Crossref

DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02478-3

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates whether the visual search processes of attentional guidance and target-match decisions rely on the same precision of target template information. While previous research suggested that guidance uses a "fuzzier" template than decisions, those findings were limited to scenarios with linearly separable distractors. The authors aimed to determine if this distinction holds under more typical visual search conditions where distractors vary in similarity to the target. The researchers conducted four experiments, with Experiments 1A and 1B serving as the primary focus described in the text. Participants performed online visual search tasks involving three trial types: color wheel memory trials to assess long-term memory templates, search decision trials to measure target identification accuracy, and guidance probe trials to measure initial attentional allocation. In guidance probe trials, a search array was briefly displayed (120 ms) followed by letter probes; participants reported which letters they saw, indexing attentional guidance based on the likelihood of reporting letters at attended locations. In decision trials, participants identified the target’s notch position. The critical distractor color varied in similarity to the target (±100° rotation in LAB color space). Experiment 1A used a 480 ms display duration for decision trials, while Experiment 1B shortened this to 240 ms to control for potential duration-based differences in precision. Data were analyzed using hierarchical Bayesian estimation to fit Gaussian functions to error rates and probe recall frequencies, deriving parameters for the central tendency and precision (standard deviation) of both guidance and decisions. The results demonstrated that attentional guidance is indeed less precise than subsequent target-match decisions. Across varying exposure durations and distractor set sizes, the range of distractors that captured early attentional guidance was wider than the range of distractors ultimately misidentified as targets. Specifically, the precision parameter for guidance ($\sigma_{gui}$) was larger than that for decisions ($\sigma_{dec}$), indicating a coarser code for guidance. This finding persisted even when display durations were equated or shortened in Experiment 1B, ruling out the possibility that the difference was merely due to the time available for processing. The probe task proved sensitive to attentional allocation, with participants significantly more likely to report letters at target and critical distractor locations compared to non-critical distractors. These findings suggest that visual search operates via two distinct stages with different informational requirements. Attentional guidance relies on a coarser, relational template to rapidly explore a wide region of space, likely constrained by lower acuity in peripheral vision. In contrast, target-match decisions utilize a more precise template to optimize identification accuracy once an object is selected. This challenges the assumption of a single, fixed target template and supports models that distinguish between a "guiding" template in working memory and a more precise "target" template used for identity verification.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-25; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• visual search