The representational basis of positive and negative repetition effects.

Abstract

Repetition of target features in the same spatial location can either benefit or impair performance in perceptual tasks. Moreover, which of these two effects occurs can depend on whether an intervening event is presented temporally between consecutive targets. Here, we explored these effects for color feature repetitions by varying the representational overlap of consecutive targets. The second target on all experimental trials was a simple perceptual color. The task and first target were manipulated to vary the representation produced in response to the first target (perceptual representation of color in Experiment 1; imagined representation of color in Experiments 2 and 5; conceptual representation of color in Experiment 3; color-unrelated representation in Experiment 4). Perceptual and imagined color representations for the first target produced a positive repetition effect when an intervening event did not appear between targets but produced a negative repetition effect when an intervening event did appear between targets. In contrast, conceptual color and color-unrelated representations produced a negative repetition effect both with and without an intervening event. These results suggest that positive repetition effects depend on consecutive targets that share visual representations, whereas negative repetition effects reflect a more complex relationship between stimulus and response features across targets. Public Significance StatementThis study demonstrates that color perception and color imagery can produce similar trial-to-trial repetition effects, with color repetition sometimes benefiting and other times impairing performance.A key finding is that positive repetition effects, but not the negative repetition effects, depend closely on consecutive targets sharing visual representations produced either by perceiving a color or imagining a color.

Re-examining Maljkovic and Nakayama (1994): Conscious expectancy does affect the Priming of Pop-out effect

“…For example, we recently demonstrated that vocalizing a color had a profound impact on color repetition effects, while passive observation of the same symbolic representations did not . We further demonstrated that whether or not semantic color representations influenced a task depended on the underlying processes (Cochrane & Milliken, 2020). In other words, the difference between the present findings and those of Maljkovic and Nakayama may be due to subtle differences in the task − it may be that verbal anticipation of the upcoming target color influenced the processes underlying the PoP effect and subvocal utterances did not.…”

Comparing imagery and perception: Using eye movements to dissociate mechanisms in search

“…That is, imageryperception congruency effects also emerge in tasks where a centrally located stimulus has to be identified, which in principle cannot be due to attentional guidance. Instead, the preponderance of the influence here appears to occur at the response stage of processing ; although see Cochrane & Milliken, 2020). Further, the imagery congruency effects observed in binocular rivalry studies are purported to be of a retinotopic basis, which are not clearly attentional guidance or response based (Chang et al, 2013).…”

Visual imagery influences attentional guidance during visual search: Behavioral and electrophysiological evidence

“…That is, there appeared to be a criterion shift towards responding quickly at the risk of making errors for the imagery congruent than incongruent color conditions when participants generated imagery with relatively low vividness. It may be that imagery with relatively low vividness hindered responding to the imagery congruent targets by producing a form of habituation like that underlying some negative repetition effects (see Cochrane & Milliken, 2020). Alternative and not mutually exclusive, it is also possible that participants used vividness ratings to reflect their performance more generallythat is, when participants made an error in the congruent color condition, this may have led them to report relatively low imagery vividness.…”