The detection of feature singletons defined in two dimensions is based on salience summation, rather than on serial exhaustive or interactive race architectures

Atten Percept Psychophys. 2009 Nov;71(8):1739-59. doi: 10.3758/APP.71.8.1739.

Abstract

Influential models of visual search assume that dimension-specific feature contrast signals are summed into a master saliency map in a coactive fashion. The main source of evidence for coactivation models, and against parallel race models, is violations of the race model inequality (RMI; Miller, 1982) by redundantly defined singleton feature targets. However, RMI violations do not rule out serial exhaustive (Townsend & Nozawa, 1997) or interactive race (Mordkoff & Yantis, 1991) architectures. These alternatives were tested in two experiments. In Experiment 1, we used a double-factorial design with singleton targets defined in two dimensions and at two levels of intensity, to distinguish between serial versus parallel models and self-terminating versus exhaustive stopping rules. In Experiment 2, we manipulated contingency benefits that are expected to affect the magnitude of redundancy gains and/or RMI violations on the assumption of an interactive race. The results of both experiments revealed redundancy gains as well as violations of the RMI, but the data pattern excluded serial-exhaustive and interactive race models as possible explanations for RMI violations. This result supports saliency summation (coactivation) models of search for singleton feature targets.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Attention*
  • Color Perception*
  • Contrast Sensitivity
  • Decision Making
  • Discrimination Learning*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Psychological
  • Orientation*
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual*
  • Practice, Psychological
  • Psychophysics
  • Reaction Time*
  • Young Adult