Abstract
A recent study using the object-reviewing paradigm of Kahneman, Treisman, and Gibbs (1992) found that although spatiotemporal continuity consistently yielded object-specific preview benefits, surface features including color, luminance, topology, size, and contrast polarity, even in combination, did not (Mitroff & Alvarez, 2007). This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that spatiotemporal continuity plays a prioritized role in the establishment and maintenance of persisting object representations (Scholl, 2007). Using the same object-reviewing procedure as Mitroff and Alvarez, we found that introducing abrupt changes to surface features (e.g., color) during the motion trajectory eliminated the object-specific preview benefit. In contrast, making the object disappear for three frames of motion (approximately 40 ms), a manipulation that was at least as disruptive to the spatiotemporal continuity of the motion trajectory as was the surface-feature change, did not eliminate the object-specific preview benefit. Assuming that object-specific preview benefits reflect a good operationalization of object representations, the following conclusion can be drawn: Although surface features may be insufficient to establish object representations without supporting spatiotemporal continuity, they do play a role in the maintenance and updating of established object representations.
Supported by NSF grant BCS-0818536 to CMM.