Specifically, there may be differences in the ability to use an attentional set to guide attention and in turn the implementation of that attentional set during stimulus processing when completing a visual search.
However, while future studies should further examine each of these possibilities, results of this study demonstrate that children between 9 and 12 years of age utilize top-down attentional sets to guide attention as a function of color and similar mechanisms to adults in support of visual selective attention during visual search as indexed by the N2pc.
Previous studies have demonstrated that verbal forms of simple features can guide attention (e.g., memorizing the words "red diamond" leads to attentional guidance by a red diamond in a search display), which has been interpreted as irrelevant conceptual information guiding attention (Soto & Humphreys, 2007).
These results, in line with Guided Search Theory, show that efficient and rapid preattentive processes guide attention towards the most salient item, allowing to reduce the number of attentional shifts needed to find the target.
The schemas, in turn, guide attention.
Cohen looks at brain activity and constructs theories of how we guide attention, thought and action in accordance with our goals and intentions.
These findings argue against the claim that singleton search relies exclusively on stimulus-driven factors and suggest that preknowledge of the target feature, when available, can guide attention.
However, the presence of visual features that may guide attention changes throughout the clip.
This work suggests that both top-down processing and salience guide attention.
In some cases (like the gorilla case), properties of the first target guide attention away from a second target.
