A word-superiority effect in the presence of foveal load. 1998

A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
Stevens Institute of Technology. perfcriteria@earthlink.net

Foveal stimuli have been shown to disrupt visual information processing in the parafovea and periphery by their mere presence. In the present study, 6 subjects were presented letter triads 3.58 degrees to the right or left of the point of fixation. At the same time, a single letter was presented at the point of fixation that was either the same as the middle letter in the triad or different from any of the triad letters. On other trials, no letter was presented at the point of fixation. Analysis indicated a word superiority effect when a foveal letter was presented that was the same as the letter in the triad. Performance between words and nonwords did not differ significantly when the foveal letter was different or absent. It was concluded that the mere presence of foveal load alone is not disruptive to performance. Depending on the visual context of the target to be reported, the presence of a foveal stimulus may improve performance.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008568 Memory Complex mental function having four distinct phases: (1) memorizing or learning, (2) retention, (3) recall, and (4) recognition. Clinically, it is usually subdivided into immediate, recent, and remote memory.
D010470 Perceptual Masking The interference of one perceptual stimulus with another causing a decrease or lessening in perceptual effectiveness. Masking, Perceptual,Maskings, Perceptual,Perceptual Maskings
D011932 Reading Acquiring information from text.
D012160 Retina The ten-layered nervous tissue membrane of the eye. It is continuous with the OPTIC NERVE and receives images of external objects and transmits visual impulses to the brain. Its outer surface is in contact with the CHOROID and the inner surface with the VITREOUS BODY. The outer-most layer is pigmented, whereas the inner nine layers are transparent. Ora Serrata
D004192 Discrimination, Psychological Differential response to different stimuli. Discrimination, Psychology,Psychological Discrimination
D005403 Fixation, Ocular Positioning and accommodation of eyes that allows the image to be brought into place on the FOVEA CENTRALIS of each eye. Focusing, Ocular,Ocular Fixation,Eye Gaze,Eye Gazes,Gaze, Eye,Gazes, Eye,Ocular Focusing
D005556 Form Perception The sensory discrimination of a pattern, shape, or outline. Contour Perception,Contour Perceptions,Form Perceptions,Perception, Contour,Perception, Form,Perceptions, Contour,Perceptions, Form
D005584 Fovea Centralis An area approximately 1.5 millimeters in diameter within the macula lutea where the retina thins out greatly because of the oblique shifting of all layers except the pigment epithelium layer. It includes the sloping walls of the fovea (clivus) and contains a few rods in its periphery. In its center (foveola) are the cones most adapted to yield high visual acuity, each cone being connected to only one ganglion cell. (Cline et al., Dictionary of Visual Science, 4th ed)
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man

Related Publications

A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
January 1986, Psychological research,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
May 2024, Vision research,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
January 1995, Memory & cognition,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
January 1978, Memory & cognition,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
November 1992, Memory & cognition,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
January 1984, Psychological research,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
November 1987, Perception & psychophysics,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
March 1982, Perception & psychophysics,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
August 1980, Perception & psychophysics,
A V Salvemini, and A L Stewart, and D G Purcell, and R S Pinkham
June 1990, Journal of experimental child psychology,
Copied contents to your clipboard!