Perceptual averaging on relevant and irrelevant featural dimensions.

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 f

SUBMITTER: Quinlan PT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11865180 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature