Attention and the detection of signals. Posner, M. I., Snyder, C. R., & Davidson, B. J. J Exp Psychol, 109(2):160–174, 1980. abstract bibtex Detection of a visual signal requires information to reach a system capable of eliciting arbitrary responses required by the experimenter. Detection latencies are reduced when subjects receive a cue that indicates where in the visual field the signal will occur. This shift in efficiency appears to be due to an alignment (orienting) of the central attentional system with the pathways to be activated by the visual input. It would also be possible to describe these results as being due to a reduced criterion at the expected target position. However, this description ignores important constraints about the way in which expectancy improves performance. First, when subjects are cued on each trial, they show stronger expectancy effects than when a probable position is held constant for a block, indicating the active nature of the expectancy. Second, while information on spatial position improves performance, information on the form of the stimulus does not. Third, expectancy may lead to improvements in latency without a reduction in accuracy. Fourth, there appears to be little ability to lower the criterion at two positions that are not spatially contiguous. A framework involving the employment of a limited-capacity attentional mechanism seems to capture these constraints better than the more general language of criterion setting. Using this framework, we find that attention shifts are not closely related to the saccadic eye movement system. For luminance detection the retina appears to be equipotential with respect to attention shifts, since costs to unexpected stimuli are similar whether foveal or peripheral. These results appear to provide an important model system for the study of the relationship between attention and the structure of the visual system.
@Article{Posner1980,
author = {Posner, M. I. and Snyder, C. R. and Davidson, B. J.},
journal = {J Exp Psychol},
title = {Attention and the detection of signals.},
year = {1980},
number = {2},
pages = {160--174},
volume = {109},
abstract = {Detection of a visual signal requires information to reach a system
capable of eliciting arbitrary responses required by the experimenter.
Detection latencies are reduced when subjects receive a cue that
indicates where in the visual field the signal will occur. This shift
in efficiency appears to be due to an alignment (orienting) of the
central attentional system with the pathways to be activated by the
visual input. It would also be possible to describe these results
as being due to a reduced criterion at the expected target position.
However, this description ignores important constraints about the
way in which expectancy improves performance. First, when subjects
are cued on each trial, they show stronger expectancy effects than
when a probable position is held constant for a block, indicating
the active nature of the expectancy. Second, while information on
spatial position improves performance, information on the form of
the stimulus does not. Third, expectancy may lead to improvements
in latency without a reduction in accuracy. Fourth, there appears
to be little ability to lower the criterion at two positions that
are not spatially contiguous. A framework involving the employment
of a limited-capacity attentional mechanism seems to capture these
constraints better than the more general language of criterion setting.
Using this framework, we find that attention shifts are not closely
related to the saccadic eye movement system. For luminance detection
the retina appears to be equipotential with respect to attention
shifts, since costs to unexpected stimuli are similar whether foveal
or peripheral. These results appear to provide an important model
system for the study of the relationship between attention and the
structure of the visual system.},
keywords = {Attention; Cues; Humans; Orientation; Space Perception; Visual Perception},
language = {eng},
medline-pst = {ppublish},
pmid = {7381367},
timestamp = {2014.11.15},
}
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First, when subjects\n\tare cued on each trial, they show stronger expectancy effects than\n\twhen a probable position is held constant for a block, indicating\n\tthe active nature of the expectancy. Second, while information on\n\tspatial position improves performance, information on the form of\n\tthe stimulus does not. Third, expectancy may lead to improvements\n\tin latency without a reduction in accuracy. Fourth, there appears\n\tto be little ability to lower the criterion at two positions that\n\tare not spatially contiguous. A framework involving the employment\n\tof a limited-capacity attentional mechanism seems to capture these\n\tconstraints better than the more general language of criterion setting.\n\tUsing this framework, we find that attention shifts are not closely\n\trelated to the saccadic eye movement system. 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