Acta Psychologica Sinica

Abstract

Attention is very important in spatial cognition. Existing studies found that it can be obtained through a more selective and effectively subtle process when the target stimulus is in the cueing range. These studies, however, were mostly manipulations of tasks touching on detection and visual research-tasks that are basic and simple spatial activities. Human visual space attention activities are complicated and multiform and take place in real-world scenes. How, then, is attention allocated in judging categorical spatial relations that are in relatively complex spatial activities? Furthermore, how does it apply to real-world scenes? There is the hypothesis that in judging categorical spatial relations on simulation scenes, the validity of cues and the command of tasks affect attention allocation.

By using the “cue-target” visual model, we study the allocation of attention when judging the categorical spatial relations in simulation scenes. The 71 subjects were randomly distributed into two groups; in one group, subjects were asked to judge — as quickly and correctly as possible — whether two little yellow “x”s were or were not within a certain object’s range; in the other group, subjects were asked to remember as much as possible the background when they were quick to perform judgment tasks. There were three kinds of cues-namely, different sizes of circles.

There were three results in the study. First, in judging categorical spatial relations in simulation scenes, cues help concentrate one’s attention. The more valid and precise the cues, the higher the efficiency in attention allocation. Second, in judging categorical spatial relations in simulation scenes, the command of tasks affects the allocation of attention. Third, with the process of attention allocation, there is the possibility that the decision-making process helps amend the methods of attention allocation at any given moment.

In judging the categorical spatial relations in simulation scenes, the validity of cues and the command of tasks both affect attention allocation. It is impossible that the simultaneity of the decision-making process and the allocation of attention help to amend the methods of attention allocation at any one moment.

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