Abstract
As everyday observers, we usually presume that temporal properties of our perceptions are due to distal objects. Yet, in the laboratory we can show that these properties rather reflect the temporal dynamics of the underlying visual processes: When two target stimuli are presented in close temporal proximity, the perceived order of these targets is often reversed. The resulting temporal order errors can be found in experimental paradigms like a.) the attentional blink, in which observers are asked to report two targets embedded in a series of rapidly changing distractor stimuli all presented at the same location but at different times; or b.) temporal order judgments, in which the task is to report the first of two near-simultaneous stimuli presented at different spatial locations. Although these phenomena appear to be similar, they have received different explanations, depending on the paradigm. For example, attentional blink theories stress episodic integration, whereas temporal order judgment errors have often been explained through prior entry. We present research investigating the hypothesis that these phenomena are very similar, by assessing the effects that particular manipulations have on both tasks. These manipulations included the presence vs. absence of distractors, the effect of cueing, the target set size, and the particular task involved. We show that performance on the one paradigm predicts performance on the other, consistent with the idea of common mechanisms.
This research was funded by NWO/ESF grant 461-06-590 and NWO VIDI grant 452-06-007 from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research to CNLO, by grants SCHA 1515/1-1 and DFG grant NE 366/7-2 from the German Research Foundation (DFG) to IS.