Filtering items of mass distraction: top-down biases against distractors are necessary for the feature-based carry-over to occur.
In preview search a new target is difficult to detect if it carries a feature shared with the old distractors [Braithwaite, J. J., Humphreys, G. W., & Hodsoll, J. (2003). Color grouping in space and time: Evidence from negative color-based carry-over effects in preview search. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 29(4), 758-778.] Two experiments are presented which examined whether this negative color carry-over effect is dependent on an attentional-set to ignore old, irrelevant distractors. Consistent with this, the data show that the negative carry-over effect is greatly reduced if the attentional-set to ignore the old preview items is removed and replaced by a set to prioritize the old items instead. The findings demonstrate that preview search, and the carry-over effect, are at least partly determined by a top-down intentional bias against old, irrelevant information.
Braithwaite
Jason J
JJ
Behavioural Brain Sciences Centre, School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. j.j.braithwaite@bham.ac.uk
Humphreys
Glyn W
GW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000360:Afterimage; D001288:Attention; D003118:Color Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D004193:Discrimination Learning; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time; D012718:Set, Psychology