Abstract
Repetition blindness (RB) refers to a failure to detect two occurrences of the same item when presented in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). Similarly, semantic repetition blindness (SRB) is a failure to detect two conceptually related items. SRB has been found for pictures of associated items (Kanwisher, Yin, & Wojiulik, 1999) and for a word and picture describing the same thing (Bavelier, 1994). However, there are conflicting findings as to whether SRB can occur for two semantically related words (McKay & Miller, 1994; Kanwisher, et al., 1999). Using a conventional RSVP paradigm, we investigated SRB using images of everyday branded products because these stimuli combine picture and word information and provide a wide range of easily recognized objects that can have different names but be closely associated semantically (e.g., Brand X cola and Brand Y cola are both colas). Using brand names as items, we used RSVP streams containing exact brand name repetitions (RB condition: e.g., Brand X cola, Brand X cola), repetitions of the same product category but using different brand names (SRB condition: e.g., Brand X cola, Brand Y cola), and no repetition (different product categories, different brand names; e.g. Brand X cola, Brand Z ketchup). We also tested these conditions using intact product images of the same products. Although robust RB was found when either word or picture stimuli were exact repetitions, SRB was only found with intact product images. These findings confirm that SRB reflects attentional processes special to semantic categorisation of visual image processing.