Abstract
In previous research a prime showing a small portion of a scene facilitated distance judgments even when the locations judged were in scene areas that were not visible in the prime. The prime apparently activated a representation of the scene, which was mentally extended beyond the prime's view perimeter. However, the locations tested were always adjacent to the prime area. This study examines the degree of this extension by varying the distance between the preview window and the areas tested. On 576 trials, participants viewed a partial area of each scene followed by the full view of that scene. They judged the relative distance of two items in the full scene (following Sanocki, 2002). The items were located in three different general areas: adjacent to the partial view, as distant as possible in the picture and at a medium distance. As long as the prime provided information about relevant layout, the prime induced facilitation even for judgments of the most distant locations in the picture.