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The “item” as a window into how prior knowledge guides visual search

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2017

Rachel Wu  and
Jiaying Zhao
Rachel Wu
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521. rachel.wu@ucr.edu
Jiaying Zhao
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology and Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada. jiayingz@psych.ubc.ca
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Abstract

We challenge the central idea proposed in Hulleman & Olivers (H&O) by arguing that the “item” is still useful for understanding visual search and for developing new theoretical frameworks. The “item” is a flexible unit that represents not only an individual object, but also a bundle of objects that are grouped based on prior knowledge. Uncovering how the “item” is represented based on prior knowledge is essential for advancing theories of visual search.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 40 , 2017 , e162
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Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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