The Mechanism Of The Contextual Cueing Effect In Visual Search Task

Chun and Jiang (1998) proposed the paradigm and conception of contextual cueing effect,that is Specific spatial layout guide note pointing to the target, making the phenomenon of increased search performance is called the contextual cueing effect.Previous studies have shown that when studying one repeated configuration-target location’s relationship, then exchanging two repeated configurations’target locations, people still can learn the exchanged relationship with repeated configurations and new target location. There are three opinions of the mechanism of contextual cueing effect-attentional guidance, response selection and dual-stage modulation. The index is the function change of slope and intercept. When subjects search the target, if attention was not guiding the contextual cueing effect,then people will search the target faster in the repeated configurations; if pre-attention or selection response causes the contextual cueing effect,then Intercept in a repeat configurations can occur with significant differences between the novel configurations.The purpose of this research is to investigate when a repeated configuration with one of the possible target locations,the mechanism of the contextual cueing effect.This study includes the following three experiments:Experiment 1 investigate that in the phase of learning, when the scene match one (control group) or two (the experimental group) targets of anyone.whether the contextual cueing effect is produced, what kind of changes of effect ammounts, background and objectives one by one between correspondence is necessary or not. The way of experiment 1 was included 2 conditions,the control group was used the classical paradigm of contextual cueing effect,which means one repeated scenesmatched one target location;the experimental group was used one repeated scenes matched two target locations,one target location correspond two repeated scenes.Experiment 1 was designed as 2(scene type:repetition,novel)×48 (block: 1～48)×2 (target number:one,two).We founded that under the two conditions,the contextual cueing effect was bothly occurred,and have the roughly the same ammounts of effect.This founding was showd useing this paradigm,attentional guiding may not the requirements of arising the contextual cueing effect.Experiment 2 was on the basis of results of experiment 1,and increased the difficulty of the experiment,whether produced in the experiments a similar effect of contextual cueing effect. The way was used one repeated scenes mantched four target locations,one target location was corresponded four repeated scenes;which means the relationship of repeated scenes and target locations was 4-4 corresponse.Experiment 2 was designed as 2(scene type:repetition,novel)×48 (block:1～48)×1 (target number:four).We found the same ammounts of effect of Experiment l,that means attentional guidence is not the requirements of arising the contextual cueing effect.The aim of experiment 3 was made the most complicated relationship of configurations and targets,investigating subjects can also appear the similar contextual cueing effect of experiment 1,thus showing the mechanism of contextual cueing effect of this paradigm. Experiment 3 was used one repeated scenes mantched eight target locations,one target location was corresponded eight repeated scenes;which means the relationship of repeated scenes and target locations was 8-8 corresponse.Experiment 3 was designed as 2(scene type:repetition.novel)×48 (block:1～48)×1 (target number:eight).Conclusions of the results of this study are as follows:(1)Used in the new paradigm of the test results obtained,attentional guidence is not required of contextual cueing effect.(2)Repeated configuration corresponding to the destination location is not a absolute one by one.(3)Contextual cueing effect is mobility.