What guides attention when searching the mind?

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K20306
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0110:Psychology and related fields
• Research Institution: Waseda University
• Principal Investigator: Kong Garry 早稲田大学, 高等研究所, 講師(任期付) (70906370)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-08-30 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Attention / Visual Working Memory / Visual Cognition

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Across three studies, we investigated the role of features when directing attention internally towards visual working memory. We have determined that both the guidance and the manipulation of objects in attention is a feature-based process. Furthermore, we have determined that the features that can guide attention internally is broader than it is for externally directed attention. Further research is required to determine whether these findings are due to the difference between visual perception and visual working memory, or whether this is a fundamental difference that occurs when changing the direction of attention.

Free Research Field

Experimental Psychology

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

The phenomena of ‘looking, but not seeing’ is a growing cause of concern, causing issues such as traffic accidents due to missed obstacles. This research contributes to a growing body of work showing that people do not pay attention to an object, only the features that make it up (e.g., its colour).