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A developmental study of visual filtering : can windows facilitate filtering efficiency?

A forced-choice reaction time (RT) task was used to examine the development of visual filtering. Specifically, this study examined whether visual filtering is more efficient in smaller spatial ranges, and the extent to which age-related changes in filtering efficiency could be attributed to improvements in the ability to expand and contract an attentional focus. Participants included 20 children in each of four age groups (4, 5, 7, and 9 years), as well as 20 adults aged between 20 and 29 years. Conditions varied with regard to the location or presence of distracters, and the presence of a window within which target stimuli were presented. RT's were slower in the presence of distracters located within one 1 degree of visual angle from target stimuli than when distracters were presented 5.7 degree of visual angle away. In addition, young children were less capable than either older children or adults to filter task-irrelevant stimuli. With regard to the window, RT's were faster in the presence of a window than in its absence. Finally, the window was most effective in improving the filtering efficiency of 4 year old children. These results are discussed in terms of the zoom-lens metaphor of visual attention, and the development of the ability to vary the size of an attentive zoom-lens in response to task requirements.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.26300
Date January 1994
CreatorsPasto, Luigi
ContributorsBurack, Jacob A. (advisor)
PublisherMcGill University
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeElectronic Thesis or Dissertation
Formatapplication/pdf
CoverageMaster of Arts (Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology.)
RightsAll items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated.
Relationalephsysno: 001434530, proquestno: MM99918, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest.

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