Some puzzling findings in multiple object tracking: I. Tracking without keeping track of object identities. Pylyshyn, Z. Visual Cognition, 11(7):801–822, 2004.
doi  abstract   bibtex   
The task of tracking a small number (about four or five) visual targets within a larger set of identical items, each of which moves randomly and independently, has been used extensively to study object?based attention. Analysis of this multiple object tracking (MOT) task shows that it logically entails solving the correspondence problem for each target over time, and thus that the individuality of each of the targets must be tracked. This suggests that when successfully tracking objects, observers must also keep track of them as unique individuals. Yet in the present studies we show that observers are poor at recalling the identity of successfully tracked objects (as specified by a unique identifier associated with each target, such as a number or starting location). Studies also show that the identity of targets tends to be lost when they come close together and that this tendency is greater between pairs of targets than between targets and nontargets. The significance of this finding in relation to the multiple object tracking paradigm is discussed.
@ARTICLE{Pylyshyn2004,
  author = {Zenon Pylyshyn},
  title = {Some puzzling findings in multiple object tracking: I. Tracking without
	keeping track of object identities},
  journal = {Visual Cognition},
  year = {2004},
  volume = {11},
  pages = {801--822},
  number = {7},
  abstract = {The task of tracking a small number (about four or five) visual targets
	within a larger set of identical items, each of which moves randomly
	and independently, has been used extensively to study object?based
	attention. Analysis of this multiple object tracking (MOT) task shows
	that it logically entails solving the correspondence problem for
	each target over time, and thus that the individuality of each of
	the targets must be tracked. This suggests that when successfully
	tracking objects, observers must also keep track of them as unique
	individuals. Yet in the present studies we show that observers are
	poor at recalling the identity of successfully tracked objects (as
	specified by a unique identifier associated with each target, such
	as a number or starting location). Studies also show that the identity
	of targets tends to be lost when they come close together and that
	this tendency is greater between pairs of targets than between targets
	and nontargets. The significance of this finding in relation to the
	multiple object tracking paradigm is discussed.},
  doi = {10.1080/13506280344000518}
}

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