Abstract
In this study, we examined the characteristics of on-line scene representations, using a partial-report procedure. Subjects inspected a simple scene containing seven objects for 1, 3, 5, 9, or 15 fixations; shortly after scene offset, a marker cued one scene location for report. Consistent with previous research, the results indicated that scene representations are relatively sparse; even after 15 fixations on a scene, the subjects remembered the position/identity pairings for only about 78% of the objects in the scene, or the equivalent of about five objects-worth of information. Report of the last three objects that were foveated and of the object about to be foveated was very accurate, however, suggesting that recently attended information in a scene is represented quite well. Information about the scene appeared to accumulate over multiple fixations, but the capacity of the on-line scene representation appeared to be limited to about five items. Implications for recent theories of scene representation are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aginsky, V., &Tarr, M. (2000). How are different properties of a scene encoded in visual memory?Visual Cognition,7, 147–162.
Averbach, E., &Coriell, E. (1961). Short-term memory in vision.Bell System Technical Journal,40, 309–328.
Blackmore, S. J., Brelstaff, G., Nelson, K., &Troscianko, T. (1995). Is the richness of our visual world an illusion? Transsaccadic memory for complex scenes.Perception,24, 1075–1081.
Bridgeman, B., Hendry, D., &Stark, L. (1975). Failure to detect displacement of the visual world during saccadic eye movements.Vision Research,15, 719–722.
Bridgeman, B., &Mayer, M. (1983). Failure to integrate visual information from successive fixations. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society,21, 285–286.
Bridgeman, B., van der Heijden, A., &Velichkovsky, B. (1994). A theory of visual stability across saccadic eye movements.Behavioral & Brain Sciences,17, 247–292.
Busey, T., &Loftus, G. (1994). Sensory and cognitive components of visual information acquisition.Psychological Review,101, 446–469.
Currie, C. B., McConkie, G. W., Carlson-Radvansky, L. A., &Irwin, D. E. (2000). The role of the saccade target object in the perception of a visually stable world.Perception & Psychophysics,62, 673–683.
De Graef, P. (1992). Scene-context effects and models of real-world perception. In K. Rayner (Ed.),Eye movements and visual cognition: Scene perception and reading (pp. 243–259). New York: Springer-Verlag.
Deubel, H., &Schneider, W. X. (1996). Saccade target selection and object recognition: Evidence for a common attentional mechanism.Vision Research,36, 1827–1837.
Fernandez-Duque, D., &Thornton, I. M. (2000). Change detection without awareness: Do explicit reports underestimate the representation of change in the visual system?Visual Cognition,7, 324–344.
Grimes, J. (1996). On the failure to detect changes in scenes across saccades. In K.Akins (Ed.),Perception (Vancouver Studies in Cognitive Science, Vol. 5, pp. 89–110). New York: Oxford University Press.
Hayhoe, M. M. (2000). Vision using routines: A functional account of vision.Visual Cognition,7, 43–64.
Henderson, J. M. (1993). Visual attention and saccadic eye movements. In G. d’Ydewalle & J. Van Rensbergen (Eds.),Perception and cognition: Advances in eye-movement research (pp. 37–50). Amsterdam: North-Holland.
Henderson, J. M. (1997). Transsaccadic memory and integration during real-world object perception.Psychological Science,8, 51–55.
Henderson, J. M., &Hollingworth, A. (1999a). High-level scene perception.Annual Review of Psychology,50, 243–271.
Henderson, J. M., &Hollingworth, A. (1999b). The role of fixation position in detecting scene changes across saccades.Psychological Science,10, 438–443.
Henderson, J. M., Pollatsek, A., &Rayner, K. (1989). Covert visual attention and extrafoveal information use during object identification.Perception & Psychophysics,45, 196–208.
Hochberg, J. (1986). Representation of motion and space in video and cinematic displays. In K. R. Boff, L. Kaufman, & J. P. Thomas (Eds.),Handbook of perception and human performance: Vol. 1. Sensory processes and perception (pp. 22.1–22.64). New York: Wiley.
Hoffman, J. E., &Subramaniam, B. (1995). The role of visual attention in saccadic eye movements.Perception & Psychophysics,57, 787–795.
Hollingworth, A., &Henderson, J. M. (2000). Semantic informativeness mediates the detection of changes in natural scenes.Visual Cognition,7, 213–235.
Hollingworth, A., &Henderson, J. M. (2002). Accurate visual memory for previously attended objects in natural scenes.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,28, 113–136.
Hollingworth, A., Williams, C. C., &Henderson, J. M. (2001). To see and remember: Visually specif ic information is retained in memory from previously attended objects in natural scenes.Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,8, 761–768.
Intraub, H. (1997). The representation of visual scenes.Trends in Cognitive Sciences,1, 217–222.
Irwin, D. E. (1991). Information integration across saccadic eye movements.Cognitive Psychology,23, 420–456.
Irwin, D. E. (1992). Memory for position and identity across eye movements.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition,18, 307–317.
Irwin, D. E. (1996). Integrating information across saccadic eye movements.Current Directions in Psychological Science,5, 94–100.
Irwin, D. E., &Andrews, R. V. (1996). Integration and accumulation of information across saccadic eye movements. In T. Inui & J. L. Mc-Clelland (Eds.),Attention and performance XVI: Information integration in perception and communication (pp. 125–155). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Irwin, D. E., Brown, J. S., &Sun, J.-S. (1988). Visual masking and visual integration across saccadic eye movements.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,117, 276–287.
Irwin, D. E., &Gordon, R. D. (1998). Eye movements, attention, and transsaccadic memory.Visual Cognition,5, 127–155.
Irwin, D. E., Yantis, S., &Jonides, J. (1983). Evidence against visual integration across saccadic eye movements.Perception & Psychophysics,34, 49–57.
Irwin, D. E., Zacks, J. L., &Brown, J. S. (1990). Visual memory and the perception of a stable visual environment.Perception & Psychophysics,47, 35–46.
Kahneman, D., &Treisman, A. (1984). Changing views of attention and automaticity. In R. Parasuraman & D. R. Davies (Eds.),Varieties of attention (pp. 29–61). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Kahneman, D., Treisman, A., &Gibbs, B. J. (1992). The reviewing of object files: Object-specific integration of information.Cognitive Psychology,24, 175–219.
Klein, R. (1980). Does oculomotor readiness mediate cognitive control of visual attention? In R. S. Nickerson (Ed.),Attention and performance VIII (pp. 259–276). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Klein, R., &Pontefract, A. (1994). Does oculomotor readiness mediate cognitive control of visual attention? Revisited! In C. Umiltà & M. Moskovitch (Eds.),Attention and performance XV: Conscious and nonconscious information processing (pp. 333–350). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, Bradford Books.
Kowler, E., Anderson, E., Dosher, B., &Blaser, E. (1995). The role of attention in the programming of saccades.Vision Research,35, 1897–1916.
Levin, D. T., &Simons, D. J. (1997). Failure to detect changes to attended objects in motion pictures.Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,4, 501–506.
Matin, E. (1974). Saccadic suppression: A review and an analysis.Psychological Bulletin,81, 899–917.
McConkie, G. W., &Currie, C. B. (1996). Visual stability across saccades while viewing complex pictures.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,22, 563–581.
McConkie, G. W., &Zola, D. (1979). Is visual information integrated across successive fixations in reading?Perception & Psychophysics,25, 221–224.
Mewhort, D. J. K., Campbell, A. J., Marchetti, F. M., &Campbell, J. I. D. (1981). Identification, localization, and “iconic memory”: An evaluation of the bar-probe task.Memory & Cognition,9, 50–67.
Mondy, S., &Coltheart, V. (2000). Detection and identification of change in naturalistic scenes.Visual Cognition,7, 281–296.
O’Regan, J. K. (1992). Solving the “real” mysteries of visual perception: The world as an outside memory.Canadian Journal of Psychology,46, 461–488.
O’Regan, J. K., &Levy-Schoen, A. (1983). Integrating visual information from successive fixations: Does trans-saccadic fusion exist?Vision Research,23, 765–768.
Pan, K., &Eriksen, C. W. (1993). Attentional distribution in the visual field during same-different judgments as assessed by response competition.Perception & Psychophysics,53, 134–144.
Pashler, H. (1988). Familiarity and visual change detection.Perception & Psychophysics,44, 369–378.
Phillips, W. A. (1974). On the distinction between sensory storage and short-term visual memory.Perception & Psychophysics,16, 283–290.
Pollatsek, A., Rayner, K., &Henderson, J. (1990). The role of spatial location in the integration of pictorial information across saccades.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,16, 199–210.
Pringle, H. L., Irwin, D. E., Kramer, A. F., &Atchley, P. (2001). The role of attentional breadth in perceptual change detection.Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,8, 89–95.
Pylyshyn, Z. W., &Storm, R. W. (1988). Tracking multiple independent targets: Evidence for a parallel tracking mechanism.Spatial Vision,3, 179–197.
Rayner, K., McConkie, G. W., &Ehrlich, S. (1978). Eye movements and integrating information across fixations.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,4, 529–544.
Rayner, K., McConkie, G. W., &Zola, D. (1980). Integrating information across eye movements.Cognitive Psychology,12, 206–226.
Rayner, K., &Pollatsek, A. (1983). Is visual information integrated across saccades?Perception & Psychophysics,34, 39–48.
Rensink, R. A. (2000). The dynamic representation of scenes.Visual Cognition,7, 17–42.
Rensink, R. A., O’Regan, J. K., &Clark, J. J. (1997). To see or not to see: The need for attention to perceive changes in scenes.Psychological Science,8, 368–373.
Shepherd, M., Findlay, J., &Hockey, R. (1986). The relationship between eye movements and spatial attention.Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology,38A, 475–491.
Simons, D. J. (1996). In sight, out of mind: When object representations fail.Psychological Science,7, 301–305.
Simons, D. J. (2000). Current approaches to change blindness.Visual Cognition,7, 1–15.
Simons, D. J., &Levin, D. T. (1997). Change blindness.Trends in Cognitive Sciences,1, 261–267.
Simons, D. J., &Levin, D. T. (1998). Failure to detect changes to people during a real-world interaction.Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,5, 644–649.
Sperling, G. (1960). The information available in brief visual presentations.Psychological Monographs,74(11, Whole No. 498).
Van Dijk, T., &Kintsch, W. (1983).Strategies of discourse comprehension. New York: Academic Press.
Wallis, G., &Bulthoff, H. (2000). What’s scene and not seen: Influences of movement and task upon what we see.Visual Cognition,7, 175–190.
Williams, P., &Simons, D. J. (2000). Detecting changes in novel 3D objects: Effects of change magnitude, spatiotemporal continuity, and stimulus familiarity.Visual Cognition,7, 297–322.
Zelinsky, G. J. (1999). Precuing target location in a variable set size “nonsearch” task: Dissociating search-based and interference-based explanations for set size effects.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,25, 875–903.
Zelinsky, G. J. (2001). Eye movements during change detection: Im-plications for search constraints, memory limitations, and scanning strategies.Perception & Psychophysics,63, 209–225.
Zelinsky, G. J., &Loschky, L. (1998). Toward a realistic assessment of visual working memory.Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science,39, S224.
Zelinsky, G. J., Rao, R., Hayhoe, M., &Ballard, D. (1997). Eye movements reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of visual search.Psychological Science,8, 448–453.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
This research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant SBR 96-15988 to D.E.I.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Irwin, D.E., Zelinsky, G.J. Eye movements and scene perception: Memory for things observed. Perception & Psychophysics 64, 882–895 (2002). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196793
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196793