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Visual search for featural singletons: No top-down modulation, only bottom-up priming
Open accessAbstract
The present study investigated the effect of top-down knowledge on search for a feature singleton (a “pop-out target”). In a singleton detection task, advance cueing of the dimension of upcoming singleton resulted in cueing costs and benefits (Experiment 1). When the search for the singleton stayed the same but only the response requirements were changed, advance cueing failed to have an effect (Experiments 2 and 3). In singleton search only bottom-up priming plays a role (Experiments 4 and 5). We conclude that expectancy-based, top-down knowledge cannot guide the search for a featural singleton. Bottom-up priming that does facilitate search for a featural singleton cannot be influenced by top-down control. The study demonstrates that effects often attributed to early top-down guidance may represent effects that occur later in processing or represent bottom-up priming effects.
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“several studies have already shown that even a strong top-down set to select only the task-relevant stimulus cannot overcome the capturing effects of a salient stimulus (Theeuwes, 1991b, 1992, 1994), a stimulus that is primed (Theeuwes, Reimann, & Mortier, 2006; Theeuwes & van der Burg, 2011), or a stimulus associated with reward (Anderson et al., 2011).”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Theeuwes, Reimann, & Mortier, 2006
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Metadata
- Authors
- Theeuwes, J., Reimann, B., & Mortier, K.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Theeuwes, Jan
- ORCID
- Theeuwes, Jan
- Venue
- Visual Cognition
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2006-08
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 4-8
- Pages
- 466-489
- ISSN
- 1350-6285 (ISSN-L)
- 1464-0716
- OpenAlex
- W2068764146
- Cited by
- 166
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2025: 6 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 6.48
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- research.vu.nl
- Licence
- other-oa
- Locations
- Visual Cognition (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- visual search, pop-out, top-down control, singleton detection, response requirement, expectancy, top-down modulation
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