COLOR SEARCH AND VISUAL-FIELD SEGREGATION

Visual search for targets that combine color and shape features that a re shared by distracting items can be conducted spatially in parallel. Experimental results show that parallel search for color/shape conjun ctions is possible when the shapes chosen let observers segregate the spatially interspersed items into figure and ground and when, within t he figure, the target differs from other items by a distinguishing col or feature. Results of experiments that manipulate stimulus color sugg est that adaptive mechanisms of color discrimination are used to detec t targets within such a figure.