COLOR-BASED INHIBITION OF RETURN

The inhibition of return of visual attention based on stimulus color w as examined in three experiments. In the first experiment, a discrete trial paradigm showed that subjects were slower to detect a color patc h if the color matched that of a patch presented earlier in the same l ocation. Experiment 2 showed that the inhibition only occurs if a neut ral, nontarget distractor color is presented between presentation of t he initial color cue and the subsequent target patch-explaining the pr evious failures to detect the phenomenon. Experiment 3 extended the re sults to a different combination of colors. Taken together, the result s have important implications for the processing of stimulus attribute s such as spatial location and color, and for the conditions necessary for producing inhibition of return.