Endogenous cueing attenuates object substitution masking

Abstract

Object substitution masking (OSM) is a form of visual masking in which a briefly presented target surrounded by four small dots is masked by the continuing presence of the four dots after target offset. A major parameter in the prediction of OSM is the time required for attention to be directed to the target following its onset. Object substitution theory (Di Lollo et al. in J Exp Psychol Gen 129:481-507, 2000) predicts that the sooner attention can be focused at the target's location, the less masking will ensue. However, recently Luiga and Bachmann (Psychol Res 71:634-640, 2007) presented evidence that precueing of attention to the target location prior to target-plus-mask onset by means of a central (endogenous) arrow cue does not reduce OSM. When attention was cued exogenously, OSM was attenuated. Based on these results, Luiga and Bachmann argued that object substitution theory should be adapted by differentiating the ways of directing attention to the target location. The goal of the present study was to further examine the dissociation between the effects of endogenous and exogenous precueing on OSM. Contrary to Luiga and Bachmann, our results show that prior shifts of attention to the target location initiated by both exogenous and endogenous cues reduce OSM as predicted by object substitution theory and its computational model CMOS.

The role of executive attention in object substitution masking

“…Thus, executive/temporal attention and OSM appear to be independent of one another. This finding is at odds with those of Dux et al (2010), and suggest a ceiling effect for the simultaneous mask offset condition may have led to the appearance of an interaction-a common issue in previous OSM studies (Enns, 2004;Enns & Di Lollo, 1997;Germeys et al, 2010).…”

“…A key finding, supporting the role of spatial attention in OSM, was that masking magnitude increased with distractor set size. In addition, convergent validity for the role of spatial attention in this form of masking came from studies showing that when spatial attention could be rapidly orientated to the target, for example, via cueing, masking was reduced (Germeys, Pomianowska, De Graef, Zaenen, & Verfaillie, 2010). Manipulations of other forms of attention have also been used in OSM settings, including executive attention.…”

Exogenous spatial precuing reliably modulates object processing but not object substitution masking

“…Furthermore, the near-ceiling level accuracy they observed for set size one for pre-cue durations beyond zero mean their interaction was most likely artifactual, an argument that applies also to the study by Germeys et al (2010). Moreover, as Argyropoulos et al noted, the introduction of an asynchrony between target and mask onsets is known to reduce OSM even where the asynchrony is uninformative as a spatial cue (Gellatly et al, 2010;Guest et al, 2012;Lim & Chua, 2008;Neill et al, 2002;Tata & Giaschi, 2004).…”

“…In such work it has been claimed that OSM is substantially weakened or even abolished entirely when a cue allows attention to be pre-focused on the target (e.g. Di Lollo et al 2000;Tata, 2002;Enns, 2004;Luiga and Bachmann, 2007;Germeys, Pomianowska, De Graef, Zaenen & Verfaillie, 2010). Argyropoulos et al (2013) also reviewed the literature on the effect of spatial precueing on OSM.…”

The visual analog: Evidence for a preattentive representation across saccades

“…The object substitution masking paradigm has proven to be an excellent tool to better understand reentrant processing (e.g., Enns & Di Lollo, 1997;Germeys, Pomianowska, De Graef, Zaenen, & Verfaillie, 2010;Jiang & Chun, 2001). In this paradigm, a non-overlapping mask is presented together with a target object.…”