Facilitation by exogenous attention for static and dynamic gestalt groups

Attentional mechanisms allow the brain to selectively allocate its resources to stimuli of interest within the huge amount of information reaching its sensory systems. The voluntary component of attention, endogenous attention, can be allocated in a flexible manner depending on the goals and strategies of the observer. On the other hand, the reflexive component, exogenous attention, is driven by the stimulus. Here, we investigated how exogenous attention is deployed to moving stimuli that form distinct perceptual groups. We showed that exogenous attention is deployed according to a reference frame that moves along with the stimulus. Moreover, in addition to the cued stimulus, exogenous attention is deployed to all elements forming a perceptual group. These properties provide a basis for the efficient deployment of exogenous attention under ecological viewing conditions.     

Using segmentation to support the learning from animated soccer scenes: An effect of prior knowledge

ObjectivesWe used a cognitive load perspective to investigate the effects of levels of learner expertise and different forms of segmentation in learning from animated soccer scenes.MethodExpert and novice players (N = 48) completed a recall reconstruction-test and rated their invested mental effort after studying a continuous animation, a macro-step and a micro-step segmented animation.ResultsFindings demonstrated an expertise reversal effect for segmentation. It positively affected learning outcomes of novices but not experts (even though they still invested less mental effort and repeated the animation less often in the two segmented conditions). Additionally, novices benefited more from micro-step segmentation than from macro-step segmentation, while experts performed at the same level with both forms of segmentation.ConclusionsStudy results suggested that adapting instructional animation formats to players with different levels of expertise should be a crucial part of successful training.     

Motion, not masking, provides the medium for feature attribution

ABSTRACT— Understanding the dynamics of how separate features combine to form holistic object representations is a central problem in visual cognition. Feature attribution (also known as feature transposition and feature inheritance) refers to the later of two stimuli expressing the features belonging to the earlier one. Both visual masking and apparent motion are implicated in feature attribution. We found that when apparent motion occurs without masking, it correlates positively with feature attribution. Moreover, when apparent motion occurs with masking, feature attribution remains positively correlated with apparent motion after the contribution of masking is factored out, but does not correlate with masking after the contribution of apparent motion is similarly factored out. Hence, motion processes on their own provide the effective medium for feature attribution. Our results clarify the dynamics of feature binding in the formation of integral and unitary object representations in human vision.     

Unconscious and conscious priming by forms and their parts

Using metacontrast masking techniques, in two experiments we compare unconscious and conscious response priming by targets consisting of either whole forms or else their parts. In Experiment 1 we investigate the contribution of whole forms and their figural primitives, viz., edges and corners, to the unconscious priming effect. As expected, choice RTs were fast when the invisible target and visible mask shape pairings were congruent and slower when they were incongruent. This trend, while strongest for whole-targets, also held for the target primes composed only of corners but did not hold for target primes composed only of sides. Experiment 2 showed, replicating the results of Experiment 1, that while invisible corner targets produced weaker priming effects than invisible whole targets, paradoxically visible corner target produced stronger priming effects than visible whole targets. Taken together the results of the two experiments indicate (a) that unconscious target representations and, thus, unconscious priming effects are strongest when the target is a complete rather than a partial configuration, (b) that conjunctions of line or edge orientations forming corners produce stronger unconscious target representations and priming effects than do unconscious target representations formed from nonconjoined edge or line primitives, (c) that metacontrast masking of form occurs at or beyond levels of visual processing at which feature integration of visual form primitives occurs, and (d) that, when consciously perceived, partial forms can act as stronger primes than whole forms.     

Effect of Presentation Format and Expertise on Attacking-Drill Memorization in Soccer

This study investigates the effects of expertise and presentation format on memorization processes in 24 expert and 24 novice soccer players, using a 2 × 3 factorial design with factors expertise (novice vs. expert) and presentation format (static vs. dynamic vs. combined). Players completed a recall reconstruction test and rated their invested mental effort after studying a static, dynamic and combined format presentation. Results indicated (a) that novices benefited more from the static than dynamic format, while expert players benefited more from the dynamic than static format; and (b) a negative effect of the combined format on the learning process of the two groups. Findings suggest the need to adapt the presentation format to players with different levels of expertise.