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| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2002): |
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Detectability of onsets versus offsets in the change detection paradigm.
Full Abstract
The human visual system is particularly sensitive to abrupt onset of new objects that appear in the visual field. Onsets have been shown to capture attention even when other transients simultaneously occur. This has led some authors to argue for the special role that object onset plays in attentional capture. However, evidence from the change detection paradigm appears contradictory to such findings. Studies of change blindness demonstrate that the onset of new objects can often go unnoticed. Assessing the relative detectability of onsets compared with other visual transients in a change detection procedure may help resolve this contradiction. We report the results of four experiments investigating the efficacy with which onsets capture attention compared with offsets. In Experiment 1, we employed a standard flicker procedure and assessed whether participants were more likely to detect the change following a frame containing an onset or following a frame containing an offset. In Experiment 2, we employed the one-shot method and investigated whether participants detected more onsets or offsets. Experiment 3 used the same method but assessed whether onsets would be detected more rapidly than offsets. In Experiment 4, we investigated whether the effect obtained in Experiments 1-3 using simple shapes would replicate when images of real-world objects were used. Results showed that onsets were less susceptible to change blindness than were offsets. We argue that the preservation of information is greater in onsets than in offsets.
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Author information
Author/s: Cole, Geoff G (GG); Kentridge, Robert W (RW); Gellatly, Angus R H (AR); Heywood, Charles A (CA);
Affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Durham, UK. G.G.Cole(-atsign-)durham.ac.uk
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Journal of vision (J Vis), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2003-; vol 3 (issue 1) : pp 22-31
Dates: Created 2003/04/07; Completed 2003/05/02; Revised 2008/04/29;
PMID: 12678622, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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