Object-based selection operates on a grouped array of locations

Abstract

In two experiments, space- and object-based selection effects were investigated, using variants of the ring-cuing paradigm of Egly and Homa (1984). The results revealed significant cuing modulation for nonring configurations of target locations spanning a range of retinal eccentricities, with the cuing effects independent of eccentricity and confined to the configuration of locations (rather than extending to locations within the space enclosed by the cued configuration). These results are consistent with object-based selection operating on a grouped spatial array (Vecera & Farah, 1994). Object selection may be based on a supradimensional saliency map representation of the field, modulated by feature-specific segmentation mechanisms (e.g., an object may be made salient on the basis of its color). Complex objects may be represented by grouped saliency signals. In this way, a two-dimensional spatial (saliency) representation may provide the common format for object-based selection, prior to full object definition.