Vecera Shaun P, Flevaris Anastasia V, Filapek Joseph C
University of Iowa, USA.
Psychol Sci. 2004 Jan;15(1):20-6. doi: 10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.01501004.x.
In a hierarchical stage account of vision, figure-ground assignment is thought to be completed before the operation of focal spatial attention. Results of previous studies have supported this account by showing that unpredictive, exogenous spatial precues do not influence figure-ground assignment, although voluntary attention can influence figure-ground assignment. However, in these studies, attention was not summoned directly to a region in a figure-ground display. In three experiments, we addressed the relationship between figure-ground assignment and visuospatial attention. In Experiment 1, we replicated the finding that exogenous precues do not influence figure-ground assignment when they direct attention outside of a figure-ground stimulus. In Experiment 2, we demonstrated that exogenous attention can influence figure-ground assignment if it is directed to one of the regions in a figure-ground stimulus. In Experiment 3, we demonstrated that exogenous attention can influence figure-ground assignment in displays that contain a Gestalt figure-ground cue; this result suggests that figure-ground processes are not entirely completed prior to the operation of focal spatial attention. Exogenous spatial attention acts as a cue for figure-ground assignment and can affect the outcome of figure-ground processes.
在视觉的分层阶段理论中，图形-背景分配被认为在焦点空间注意运作之前就已完成。先前研究的结果支持了这一理论，这些研究表明，不可预测的外源性空间线索不会影响图形-背景分配，尽管随意注意可以影响图形-背景分配。然而，在这些研究中，注意并未直接被引导至图形-背景显示中的某个区域。在三个实验中，我们研究了图形-背景分配与视觉空间注意之间的关系。在实验1中，我们重现了以下发现：当外源性线索将注意引导至图形-背景刺激之外时，它们不会影响图形-背景分配。在实验2中，我们证明，如果将外源性注意引导至图形-背景刺激中的一个区域，它就可以影响图形-背景分配。在实验3中，我们证明，外源性注意可以在包含格式塔图形-背景线索的显示中影响图形-背景分配；这一结果表明，图形-背景处理过程在焦点空间注意运作之前并未完全完成。外源性空间注意充当图形-背景分配的线索，并可以影响图形-背景处理的结果。
