VISUAL SELECTION OF FEATURES AND OBJECTS - IS LOCATION SPECIAL - A REINTERPRETATION OF NISSEN (1985) FINDINGS

Nissen (1985) compared selection by location with selection by color or shape in partial-report experiments. Her analysis of response contigencies when a target was defined in terms of one attribute (location, color, or shape), and when the task was to report the two remaining attributes, suggested a special role for selection by location: It appeared that cross-referencing between color and shape was mediated by location. An alternative interpretation is developed here: The findings are explained by a theory of attention (Bundesen, 1990), in which selection by location is treated on a par with selection by color or shape.