Biggs Adam T, Gibson Bradley S
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Notre Dame.
J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform. 2014 Feb;40(1):7-14. doi: 10.1037/a0033922. Epub 2013 Aug 12.
The perceptual load theory contends that the locus of visual selection is dependent on the availability of perceptual resources, and findings have shown significant distractor interference under conditions of low perceptual load, but not under conditions of high perceptual load. Recently, other researchers have suggested that this pattern of distractor interference may actually be due to changes in the quality of the distractor's representation (known as the dilution account) and/or changes in its relative salience (known as the salience account). The present study attempted to advance theoretical understanding of visual selection by comparing the effects of high versus low visual salience while holding the effects of perceptual load and dilution constant. The results of two experiments showed that the relative salience of the distractor influenced the magnitude of distractor interference under these conditions. These results suggest that the effects of visual salience can coexist with the effects of dilution (and load).
