The Influence Of Target Location’s Predictability On Contextual Cueing Effect

Two kinds of memory will facilitate the process of visual search in the identification of scenes. One is the memory about object’s specific location, the other one is relational memory, which means the information about the target in the global context. Both kinds of memory will promote the observers’ search for the target and the process of scene identification.Chun and Jiang (1998) found a phenomenon in the process of scene identification, namely, the contextual cueing effect. The information of the context can be used as a top-down cue and promote the process of scene identification and the visual search process. Researchers conducted several research to explore the nature of contextual cuing effect. Chun and Jiang use the instance theory, which believes that contextual cueing is based on an inflexible and specific image (snapshot) mechanism, to explain this effect. While the other researches believes that contextual cueing effect can be flexible in some specific conditions and are not restricted in the form of snapshot, considering the advanced function of brain.The predictability of target location is very important to the contextual remapping. The investigation of contextual remapping is the best proof for the contextual effect’s flexibility. A good way to explore contextual cueing effect’s paradigm is through target relocation after subjects having learned the relationship between target location and context. Therefore, we check the process of contextual remapping process after contextual cueing gained in the learning phase in the virtual scenes. What’s more, we also investigate the role of memory of the target location and the memory of relationship in the contextual cueing effect. At last, we investigate the nature of the relationship memory in the contextual cueing effect. In order to investigate these questions, we can modify the target location after the observer has gained the contextual cueing effect. In this way, we can observe the influence of target location and relational memory for the gained contextual benefit.Three experiments are included in this research. In the experiment1and2, we create a3D environment to provide observers with abundant identity information of object. The Experimentl implemented2×33repeated measures design with the (within-observer) factors "context"(repeated, novel) and "block"(1-33), and the factor of the way of target location exchanges:the target exchanged among these repeated scenes, and target location exchanged between novel scenes and repeated scenes. The experiment2implemented a similar experiment, except that the target locations of repeated scenes were moved to an empty (unpredictable) place. The results revealed that successful contextual remapping was gained rapidly when targets relocated between repeated scenes, and a longer time needed to adapt to changed contextual relationship when targets exchanged between novel scenes (Experimentl), but no adaptation was found when targets moved empty places (Experiment). In the experiment3, we want to explore the nature of the relationship memory in the contextual cueing effect. In order to investigate this issue directly, we adopt the traditional experiment materials, namely using the letter T or L as the target and distractors to reduce the inference of other unrelated factors. The results showed that the contextual benefit diminished after the target location exchanged between repeated scenes in each block.We can draw the following conclusions under the conditions of these experiments:(1) Contextual cueing effect can be flexible under the condition of predictability, but it cannot adapt to the up-to-date changed relationships.(2) Participants can learn the target location and the relationship between target location and its context during the visual search task. Both type of learning facilitate the re-adaptation of context and its target location.(3) Predictability and sufficient learning is necessary for the successful re-adaptation of contextual relationship.(4) The nature of the memory in the contextual cuing effect is implicit.