Perceptual averaging on relevant and irrelevant featural dimensions: Perceptual averaging

Philip Thomas Quinlan; Dale J Cohen; Keith Malcolm Allen

Perceptual averaging on relevant and irrelevant featural dimensions: Perceptual averaging

Philip Thomas Quinlan, Dale J Cohen, Keith Malcolm Allen

Research output: Book/Report › Other report

Abstract

Here we report four experiments that explore the nature of perceptual averaging. We examine the evidence that participants recover and store a representation of the mean value of a set of perceptual features that are distributed across the optic array. The extant evidence shows that participants are particularly accurate in estimating the relevant mean value, but we ask whether this might be due to processes that reflect assessing featural similarity rather than computing an average. We set out and test detailed predictions that can be used to adjudicate between these averaging and similarity hypotheses. In each experiment, a memory display of randomly positioned bars was briefly presented followed immediately by a probe bar. Participants had to report in a Yes/No task whether the probed feature value was present. In initial experiments, we examine reports of orientation of white bars and of the color of vertical bars, respectively. Then in companion experiments we examine reports of orientation of bars whose color vary, and of the color of bars whose orientation vary. In this way, we test ideas about whether perceptual averaging occurs on a featural dimension that is irrelevant to the task. Currently, it is not known whether perceptual averaging only takes place on a task relevant dimension or whether it operates more widely.

Original language	English
Number of pages	24
Publication status	Accepted/In press - 11 May 2022

Keywords

Perceptual averaging
ensemble cpding
ensemble perception

Access to Document

ec-May22-v1

Cite this

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title = "Perceptual averaging on relevant and irrelevant featural dimensions: Perceptual averaging",

abstract = "Here we report four experiments that explore the nature of perceptual averaging. We examine the evidence that participants recover and store a representation of the mean value of a set of perceptual features that are distributed across the optic array. The extant evidence shows that participants are particularly accurate in estimating the relevant mean value, but we ask whether this might be due to processes that reflect assessing featural similarity rather than computing an average. We set out and test detailed predictions that can be used to adjudicate between these averaging and similarity hypotheses. In each experiment, a memory display of randomly positioned bars was briefly presented followed immediately by a probe bar. Participants had to report in a Yes/No task whether the probed feature value was present. In initial experiments, we examine reports of orientation of white bars and of the color of vertical bars, respectively. Then in companion experiments we examine reports of orientation of bars whose color vary, and of the color of bars whose orientation vary. In this way, we test ideas about whether perceptual averaging occurs on a featural dimension that is irrelevant to the task. Currently, it is not known whether perceptual averaging only takes place on a task relevant dimension or whether it operates more widely.",

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AU - Quinlan, Philip Thomas

AU - Cohen, Dale J

AU - Allen, Keith Malcolm

PY - 2022/5/11

Y1 - 2022/5/11

N2 - Here we report four experiments that explore the nature of perceptual averaging. We examine the evidence that participants recover and store a representation of the mean value of a set of perceptual features that are distributed across the optic array. The extant evidence shows that participants are particularly accurate in estimating the relevant mean value, but we ask whether this might be due to processes that reflect assessing featural similarity rather than computing an average. We set out and test detailed predictions that can be used to adjudicate between these averaging and similarity hypotheses. In each experiment, a memory display of randomly positioned bars was briefly presented followed immediately by a probe bar. Participants had to report in a Yes/No task whether the probed feature value was present. In initial experiments, we examine reports of orientation of white bars and of the color of vertical bars, respectively. Then in companion experiments we examine reports of orientation of bars whose color vary, and of the color of bars whose orientation vary. In this way, we test ideas about whether perceptual averaging occurs on a featural dimension that is irrelevant to the task. Currently, it is not known whether perceptual averaging only takes place on a task relevant dimension or whether it operates more widely.

AB - Here we report four experiments that explore the nature of perceptual averaging. We examine the evidence that participants recover and store a representation of the mean value of a set of perceptual features that are distributed across the optic array. The extant evidence shows that participants are particularly accurate in estimating the relevant mean value, but we ask whether this might be due to processes that reflect assessing featural similarity rather than computing an average. We set out and test detailed predictions that can be used to adjudicate between these averaging and similarity hypotheses. In each experiment, a memory display of randomly positioned bars was briefly presented followed immediately by a probe bar. Participants had to report in a Yes/No task whether the probed feature value was present. In initial experiments, we examine reports of orientation of white bars and of the color of vertical bars, respectively. Then in companion experiments we examine reports of orientation of bars whose color vary, and of the color of bars whose orientation vary. In this way, we test ideas about whether perceptual averaging occurs on a featural dimension that is irrelevant to the task. Currently, it is not known whether perceptual averaging only takes place on a task relevant dimension or whether it operates more widely.

KW - Perceptual averaging

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