Automaticity and the Perceptual Unit
Date
1994
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
Theories of attention have, until recently, either minimized or overlooked the importance of the perceptual unit in target detection tasks. Recent work indicated target detection is facilitated by the spatial integrity of a relevant stimulus within a display. Kahneman and Henik (1983) have demonstrated that the more prominant the target as or within a perceptual unit, the greater the ease at which detection and encoding may occur. Literature defining and supporting the role of the perceptual unit is cited, followed by two investigations of this phenomenon. Attentional constraints defining the strength of the perceptual unit are studied in a third experiment. Results call for further investigation into the validity of Gestalt notions to a comprehensive theory of attention.