Feature-based attention: it is all bottom-up priming
Open accessAbstract
Feature-based attention (FBA) enhances the representation of image characteristics throughout the visual field, a mechanism that is particularly useful when searching for a specific stimulus feature. Even though most theories of visual search implicitly or explicitly assume that FBA is under top-down control, we argue that the role of top-down processing in FBA may be limited. Our review of the literature indicates that all behavioural and neuro-imaging studies investigating FBA suffer from the shortcoming that they cannot rule out an effect of priming. The mere attending to a feature enhances the mandatory processing of that feature across the visual field, an effect that is likely to occur in an automatic, bottom-up way. Studies that have investigated the feasibility of FBA by means of cueing paradigms suggest that the role of top-down processing in FBA is limited (e.g. prepare for red). Instead, the actual processing of the stimulus is needed to cause the mandatory tuning of responses throughout the visual field. We conclude that it is likely that all FBA effects reported previously are the result of bottom-up priming.
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Theeuwes (2013) argued that the role of intertrial priming is often underestimated and its influence on attentional selection is often erroneously attributed to top-down volitional control.
“In a critical evaluation of the existing literature regarding feature-based attention, Theeuwes (2013) argued that the role of intertrial priming is often underestimated and its influence on attentional selection is often erroneously attributed to top-down volitional control.”
From Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention. (2018) · cites this paper as Theeuwes (2013)
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Selection history: How reward modulates selectivity of visual attention.
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“With respect to the studies concerned with selection biases unrelated to reward, it may be argued that locations within the priority map can be suppressed (Theeuwes, 2013), while specific features within this map cannot.”
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Theeuwes, J.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Theeuwes, Jan
- ORCID
- Theeuwes, Jan
- Venue
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
- Publisher
- The Royal Society
- Published
- 2013-10-19
- Volume
- 368
- Issue
- 1628
- Pages
- 20130055
- ISSN
- 0962-8436 (ISSN-L)
- 1471-2970
- PMC
- PMC3758198
- OpenAlex
- W2152631530
- Cited by
- 168
- References
- 80
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 30 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 1.08
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (publishedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- 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
- feature-based attention, top-down control, visual search, cueing paradigm, visual field representation, attentional capture
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Field Dependence-Independence, Humans, Models, Psychological, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Research Design, Visual Perception, Repetition Priming
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