The benefit of categorization in visual search: Target location without identification

Prior studies have shown that between-category visual search (e.g., looking for a “6” among letters) is easier that within-category search (e.g., looking for a “6” among other digits). Four experiments were performed to determine what particular benefits are conferred in between-category search. The first experiment demonstrates that this category-effect occurs even when the subject has to identify the target, this suggests that the between-category search can “tag” the categorially different item for further processing. Three further experiments provide evidence that this tag is based on the item’s spatial location within the array.