Limitation of search strategies inside the dead zone of attention Y Stakina, I Utochkin |
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Cognitive Research Laboratory, The Higher School of Economics, Russian Federation
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| The dead zone of attention (DZA) is exaggerated change blindness to objects near the center of interest (CI) [Utochkin, 2011, Visual Cognition, 19, 1063-1088]. Earlier, we have found that the manifestations of the DZA are reduced by informing observers about DZA [Stakina, Utochkin, 2012, Perception, 41, ECVP Supplement, 143]. In the present study, we tested whether it can be reduced by external cues drawing attention to a target region. Our change blindness experiment consisted of two stages. In the first stage, participants received 12 flickering images with changes in CI’s. Once observers noticed those changes, CI’s went the most attractive regions in the images. In the second stage, observers searched for peripheral changes either near, or far from CI’s. Cues appeared during flicker intervals indicating the boundaries of a search region (those regions were significantly bigger than the sizes of changing details). It was found that the cues improved speed and accuracy of detecting both near and far changes as compared to our previous experiments. This demonstrates an economy provided by local search strategy. However, our manipulations didn’t eliminate the DZA completely. It appears that the DZA is an enduring phenomenon that is more than just a search strategy. [The study was implemented within the Program of Fundamental Studies of the Higher School of Economics in 2013.] |
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