The locus of the experimental effects in the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task

A central assumption of studies using the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) technique is that it taps purely perceptual processes. In an experiment testing this assumption, subjects were presented with seven-word sentences that were either completely intact or had their final three words replaced by three extraneous words. The subjects were significantly less accurate in reporting the first four unchanged words of the sentences in the latter condition. Contrary to assumption, this result indicates that postperceptual factors are critical in the task. It is therefore argued that theoretical conclusions based on the technique should be treated cautiously until the locus of each effect has been established.

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