2 research outputs found
Not all features are created equal: Processing asymmetries between location and object features
Previous research has shown spontaneous location processing when location is not a task relevant feature
and when a target is presented together with distractors. The present study investigates whether such
processing can occur in the absence of distractor inhibition, and whether there is a processing asymmetry
between location and an object feature. The results show that not all features are created equal. Whereas
attending to an object’s color or texture led to the involuntary processing of that object’s location, attending
to an object’s location did not necessarily result in the encoding of its color or texture when these
nonspatial properties were not task relevant. These results add to the body of evidence demonstrating
the special role of location in attentional selection. They also provide a clearer picture of the interactions
among location, object features, and participants’ behavioral goals