Shifts of visual attention at fixation and away from fixation.
Attention shifts in the visual field were investigated using a task in which two numerals were flashed one by one, the duration of each numeral being 33 msec. Both numerals were followed by a mask pattern (100 msec in duration). The observer was asked to report the two numerals. If the observer correctly recognized both numerals, it implies that he was able to perform a simple act of attention shift from one item to the next. In the foveal experiment, both numerals were presented at fixation--the second numeral on top of the first. In the extrafoveal experiment, the numerals were also flashed sequentially but in different locations: the first numeral was at fixation and the second at 7 deg eccentricity. The results showed that the observers could not shift attention away from fixation to an extrafoveal position as efficiently as they could maintain attention at fixation.
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
J
J
Saarinen
D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D005403:Fixation, Ocular / Q000502:physiology*; D005584:Fovea Centralis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology; D010470:Perceptual Masking / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014794:Visual Fields / Q000502:physiology*