The role of physical and conceptual properties in preserving object continuity.
Six experiments investigated the nature of the object-file representation supporting object continuity. Participants viewed preview displays consisting of 2 stimuli (either line drawings or words) presented within square frames, followed by a target display consisting of a single stimulus (either a word or a picture) presented within 1 of the frames. The relationship between the target and preview stimuli was manipulated. The first 2 experiments found that participants responded more quickly when the target was identical to the preview stimulus in the same frame (object-specific priming). In Experiments 3, 4, 5, and 6, the physical form of the target stimulus (a word or picture in 1 frame) was changed completely from that of either preview stimulus (pictures or words in both frames). Despite this physical change, object-specific priming was observed. It is suggested that object files encode postcategorical information, rather than precise physical information.
Gordon
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Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. Robert_Gordon@brown.edu
Irwin
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D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003210:Concept Formation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D011340:Problem Solving; D011930:Reaction Time; D011932:Reading; D012660:Semantics