Attentional Persistence for Features of Hierarchical Patterns

Priming for perceptual wholes and parts was examined in 4 experiments involving patterns arranged in a spatial hierarchy (D. Navon, 1977). Previous studies have demonstrated "level-specific priming" across successive trials for these patterns (L. C. Robertson, R. Egly, M. R. Lamb, & L. Kerth, 1993; L. M. Ward, 1982), and studies in neuropsychology have shown an absence of this priming effect in patient groups with parietal damage (R. Rafal & L. C. Robertson, 1994). The present experiments demonstrate that level-specific priming is linked to the spatial frequency differences between global and local forms in hierarchical patterns. They also show that level-specific priming is present even when the stimulus as a whole changes location. The effects last for up to 3 s without diminution and are not affected by changes in color, polarity, or contrast. These findings are discussed as they relate to spatial attention, object perception, and memory.