Why are placeholders important to the manifestation of the automatic attentional effect?

Author(s)

Fernanda Amadei Sais

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2011-03-15

Examining board members

Luiz Eduardo Ribeiro do Valle; André Frazão Helene; Gilberto Fernando Xavier

• Advisor: Luiz Eduardo Ribeiro do Valle

Abstract

In Experiment 1 we investigated if a peripheral stimulus, which is able to capture attention when there are placeholders on the screen, is no longer able to capture attention in the absence of placeholders because is early filtered. In Experimento 2, 3 and 4 we investigated if changes on screen background, which would generate stronger processing competition between stimuli, could lead to attentional capture even in absence of placeholders. Accorging to our results the peripheral stimuli is able to capture attention when competing stimuli of high intensity are presented togueter on screen. Our explanation is that placeholders are important because they add noise to stimuli processing, affecting stimuli representation and, therefore, the probability that a stimulus will capture attention. Lastly, in Experimento 5 we investigated if similar results would be obtained in a form discrimination task. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 09/04614-8 - Why are location marks important to the development of the automatic attentional effect?
• Grantee: Fernanda Amadei Sais
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master