Attention and Visual Perception: The Availability of Features

Results from two experiments employing a location-cueing paradigm demonstrated that the features of a visual stimulus do not appear to be used for stimulus identification at a time prior to the localization of the stimulus by an attentional system. However, the experiments also revealed that a stimulus is processed (at least to some extent) prior to the arrival of attention at the stimulus. The results support the hypothesis that a visual stimulus must be located by an attentional system before results of initial processing of the stimulus can be used in identification. Implications for the design of visual display systems in which it is important for the user to identify stimuli both quickly and accurately are discussed.