A glimpse is not a glimpse: Differential processing of flashed scene previews leads to differential target search benefits
Melissa L.‐H. Võ, Werner X. Schneider · Visual Cognition · 2008
What information can we extract from an initial glimpse of a scene and how do people differ in the way they process visual information? In Experiment 1, participants searched 3-D-rendered images of naturalistic scenes for embedded target objects through a gaze-contingent window. A briefly flashed scene preview (identical, background, objects, or control) preceded each search scene. We found that search performance varied as a function of the participants’ reported ability to distinguish between previews. Experiment 2 further investigated the source of individual differences using a whole-report task. Data were analysed following the “Theory of Visual Attention” approach, which allows the assessment of visual processing efficiency parameters. Results from both experiments indicate that during the first glimpse of a scene global processing of visual information predominates and that individual differences in initial scene processing and subsequent eye movement behaviour are based on individual differences in visual perceptual processing speed.