Abstract
In three experiments, we examined distractor inhibition in parallel (“pop-out”) visual search. Distractor inhibition was measured in terms of reaction time (RT) to a simple luminance increment probe presented, after the search task response, at display locations that either contained a search distractor (on-probe) or were blank (off-probe). When the search stimuli remained in view, the on-probe (relative to off-probe) RT cost was larger than in a baseline condition in which observers had only to passively view, rather than search, the display. This differential on-probe RT cost, which discounts effects of masking, was interpreted as a measure of distractor inhibition associated with target selection in parallel visual search. Taken together, the results argue that the distractor inhibition is an object-based and local phenomenon that affects all distractors (of a particular type) in an equal manner.
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This research was supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Grant FOR 480.
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Müller, H.J., von Mühlenen, A. & Geyer, T. Top-down inhibition of search distractors in parallel visual search. Perception & Psychophysics 69, 1373–1388 (2007). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03192953
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03192953