Examining location-based and object-based components of inhibition of return in static displays

Tipper and Colleagues (e.g., Jordan & Tipper, 1998; Tipper, Driver, & Weave r, 1991; Tipper, Weaver, Jerreat, & Burak, 1994) have provided support for inhibition of return (IOR) being composed of a location-based and an object -based component. They were able to separate out the effects of location-ba sed and object-based IOR by using complex displays and displays that involv ed moving the cued object. The present study was designed to further examin e the object- and location-based components of IOR in static displays. Thre e experiments were conducted that looked at the presence or absence of plac eholder boxes on IOR. The first experiment was designed to replicate the re sults of Jordan and Tipper by presenting both objects and no-objects in the same display. In the second experiment, trials were blocked, and in the th ird experiment trials were presented in a random order. Overall, the result s are inconsistent with the notion that independent object-based and locati on-based IOR components combine to produce the overall IOR effect and that additive effects are realized due to the context in which the trials are pr esented. We propose that a single inhibitory mechanism can account for the data.