Source: Treisman, A. M., & Gelade, G. (1980). A feature-integration theory of attention. Cognitive Psychology, 12(1), 97–136. Web.
Treisman and Gelade (1980) presented a comprehensive theoretical framework for elucidating the mechanisms underlying attention in visual perceptionAccording to the theory of feature integration, the integration of objects in the visual field is necessary to create a unified perception of the environment. According to the theoretical scheme, specific object attributes such as hue, shape, and alignment are perceived inherently and unconsciously. Treisman and Gelade’s article provides empirical and conceptual support for the feature integration theory. The authors describe a series of experiments using visual search tasks in which research participants had to locate a particular target object among a field of distracting things. The results from these experiments confirm that attention plays a crucial role in the process of feature integration, and the visual analyzer plays a vital role. This study shows that the visual analyzer can be called the most important of the other analyzers that are responsible for environmental perception.
Source: Treisman, A. (1977). Focused attention in the perception and retrieval of multidimensional stimuli. Perception & Psychophysics, 22(1), 1–11. Web.
The current investigation scrutinizes the cognitive mechanisms implicated in the perception and retrieval of complex stimuli, specifically focusing on two fundamental areas of inquiry. The hypothesis suggests that various dimensions or attributes, such as orientation, color, spatial frequency, and brightness, are combined into cohesive compounds using attentional selection and sequential information processing from different spatial locations. The proposal suggests that parallel processing and divided attention can be feasible in situations where differentiation based on a single attribute or variations across multiple dimensions aid in the discrimination between stimuli (Treisman, 1977). The experiments presented in the paper provide evidence to support the hypothesis. The present research examines the capacity of working memory to retain and recognize conjunctions, which are a composite of multiple features. The experiments conducted in this study sought to investigate the efficacy of the methods above and posit that distinctive features retain their unique status in the realm of memory.