PHENOMENOLOGY OF ATTENTION - 1 - COLOR, LOCATION, ORIENTATION, AND SPATIAL-FREQUENCY

The effect of attention on the phenomenal appearance of objects was in vestigated in the domains of color (hue), location, line orientation, and spatial frequency. Observers indicated the appearance of a briefly presented above-threshold stimulus by selecting a matching stimulus a long a sensory continuum (e.g., color). Attention was manipulated with a dual task that involved letter identification. Attention had little effect in changing the way objects appeared in terms of observers' me an response. However, in each stimulus domain, attention reduced the v ariability of responses. It is argued that attention should be viewed in terms of reducing uncertainty.