Integration of local features as a function of global goodness and spacing

Abstract

In two experiments, the accuracy with which subjects detected a conjunction of features was examined as a function of the spacing between items and the goodness of the axis along which they were located. In each array, two items were arranged along a vertical, a horizontal, or a diagonal axis. Based on the well-established oblique effect, the vertical and horizontal axes were considered to be good global patterns and the diagonals were considered to be poor. In Experiment 1, the two items in an array could be two horizontal lines, two vertical lines, a vertical and a horizontal line, or a plus sign with one of the single lines. In Experiment 2, a positive- and a negative-diagonal line were used as the individual features, and an "X" was used as the conjunction. The results from Experiment 1 indicated that global goodness influenced only the rate of illusory conjunctions, and not of feature errors. Illusory conjunctions of vertical and horizontal line segments were more likely to occur in vertical and horizontal arrangements. The results from Experiment 2 revealed a reversal of the effect of global goodness on the rate of illusory conjunctions: Illusory conjunctions of negative- and positive-diagonal line segments were more likely to occur in diagonal arrangements. The results of both experiments taken together showed the existence of an important and new factor that influences the likelihood that features of shape will be conjoined: the ease with which line segments conjoin when they are translated along their extent toward each other. In both experiments, greater spacing between items produced more feature-identification errors and fewer feature-integration errors than did less spacing.