Perceptual Load Modulates Object-Based Attention

Two experimental series are reported using both reaction time (RT) and a data-limited perceptual report to examine the effects of perceptual load on object-based attention. Perceptual load was manipulated across 3 levels by increasing the complexity of perceptual judgments. Data from the RT-based experiments showed object-based effects when the target was near the cued location. Results from the data-limited procedure showed that, with low perceptual load, attention spread along the cued object, supporting an object-based attention account. As load increased, attention was constrained to object locations near the cue, but attention still favored the cued object, inconsistent with a scanning prioritization account of object-based attention effects. Furthermore, findings showed that perceptual load modulates object selection in a manner similar to spatial attention, suggesting that there might be a common process underlying object-based and spatial attention.