On the Role of Symmetry in Visual Search

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Abstract
It is known that the efficiency of visual search for a target item among distractor items increases when distractors are similar to each other and decreases when target and distractors are similar. Here we show that symmetry relations between targets and distractors can alter search efficiency. When distractors form a background texture symmetrical about a vertical axis, search is easier than when they do not. In contrast, when some distractors are symmetrical with the target, search is more difficult than when they are not. These results suggest (1) that symmetry relations are processed in parallel and can help to distinguish a target from a distracting background and (2) that stimulus similarity can have several components even for a single feature (here, orientation).

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