A Boolean Map Theory of Visual Attention

Abstract

A theory is presented that attempts to answer two questions. What visual contents can an observer consciously access at one moment? Answer: only one feature value (e.g., green) per dimension, but those feature values can be associated (as a group) with multiple spatially precise locations (comprising a single labeled Boolean map). How can an observer voluntarily select what to access? Answer: in one of two ways: (a) by selecting one feature value in one dimension (e.g., selecting the color red) or (b) by iteratively combining the output of (a) with a preexisting Boolean map via the Boolean operations of intersection and union. Boolean map theory offers a unified interpretation of a wide variety of visual attention phenomena usually treated in separate literatures. In so doing, it also illuminates the neglected phenomena of attention to structure. © 2007 American Psychological Association.