Perceptual capacity limits in visual detection and search

The present research tests limited- and unlimited-capacity theories of perception by comparing accuracy in detection and search tasks under conditions of simultaneous and successive presentation of array items. The unlimited-capacity approach predicts no difference between simultaneous and successive presentation when nonperceptual factors are controlled. The limitedcapacity approach predicts an advantage for successive presentation when the number of simultaneously presented items exceeds processing capacity. In five experiments using a consistent mapping paradigm, successive presentation was reliably better than simultaneous presentation.

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