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Change Detection: Paying Attention To Detail Detail

Austen, Erin and Enns, James T. (2000) Change Detection: Paying Attention To Detail Detail. [Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)]

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Abstract

Changes made during a brief visual interruption sometimes go undetected, even when the object undergoing the change is at the center of the observer's interest and spatial attention (Simons & Levin, 1998). This study examined two potentially important attentional variables in change blindness: spatial distribution, manipulated via set size, and detail level, varied by having the change at either the global or local level of a compound letter. Experiment 1 revealed that both types of change were equally detectable in a single item, but that global change was detected more readily when attention was distributed among several items. Variation of target level probability in Experiment 2 showed further that observers could flexibly set the detail level in monitoring both single and multiple items. Sensitivity to change therefore depends not only on the spatial focus of attention; it depends critically on the match between the detail level of the change and the level-readiness of the observer.

Item Type:Journal (On-line/Unpaginated)
Keywords:change blindness, local perception, global perception, visual search, attention.
Subjects:Psychology > Cognitive Psychology
ID Code:1055
Deposited By: Enns, James T.
Deposited On:23 Oct 2000
Last Modified:11 Mar 2011 08:54

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