Repetition blindness
Encyclopedia
Repetition Blindness is a phenomenon observed in Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
. Subjects are less likely to detect the repetition of a target stimulus
than they are to detect a second, different target.
For example, a subject's chances of correctly reporting both appearances of the word "cat" in the RSVP stream "dog mouse cat elephant cat snake" are lower than their chances of reporting the third and fifth words in the stream "dog mouse cat elephant pig snake".
The precise mechanism underlying RB has been extensively debated. Nancy Kanwisher
has argued that it involves failure to tokenize the second appearance of a repeated stimulus, leading to the second appearance being dropped from short term memory before it can be reported. However, Whittlesea and colleagues have argued that repetition blindness arises from a failure to properly reconstruct the list, both online and post list. This failure to properly reconstruct the list arises from the poor encoding cues that are the result of the RSVP task.
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
Rapid serial visual presentation is a method of displaying information in which the text is displayed word-by-word in a fixed focal position. Aside from a basic reading aid, RSVP is being researched as a tool to increase individual reading rates...
. Subjects are less likely to detect the repetition of a target stimulus
Stimulus (physiology)
In physiology, a stimulus is a detectable change in the internal or external environment. The ability of an organism or organ to respond to external stimuli is called sensitivity....
than they are to detect a second, different target.
For example, a subject's chances of correctly reporting both appearances of the word "cat" in the RSVP stream "dog mouse cat elephant cat snake" are lower than their chances of reporting the third and fifth words in the stream "dog mouse cat elephant pig snake".
The precise mechanism underlying RB has been extensively debated. Nancy Kanwisher
Nancy Kanwisher
Nancy Kanwisher is a Professor in the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. She studies the neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying human visual perception and cognition. Her work investigates object recognition, visual attention, and perceptual awareness, as well as response selection,...
has argued that it involves failure to tokenize the second appearance of a repeated stimulus, leading to the second appearance being dropped from short term memory before it can be reported. However, Whittlesea and colleagues have argued that repetition blindness arises from a failure to properly reconstruct the list, both online and post list. This failure to properly reconstruct the list arises from the poor encoding cues that are the result of the RSVP task.