The category effect in visual search: Identification versus localization factors.

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Abstract
Between-category visual search is more rapid and/or accurate, and is less dependent on display size, than within-category search. Previous accounts have stressed identification processes and have assumed that the category of a stimulus can be determined before its actual identity. The category effect was studied in humans using a 3 .times. 3 alphanumeric matrix followed by a single-item cue. Category differences between target and nontargets enhanced performance by reducing mislocation errors rather than intrusion errors. Apparently stimulus recognition requires both identification and localization in space, and the latter process, not the former, is directed by category information.