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Interference in Visual Perception by Verbal and Spatial Cognitive Activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2013

Elisa Pérez-Moreno ,
Ángela Conchillo  and
Miguel Ángel Recarte
Elisa Pérez-Moreno*
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Ángela Conchillo
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
Miguel Ángel Recarte
Affiliation:
Universidad Complutense (Spain)
*
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Elisa Pérez Moreno. Dpto. Metodología de las Ciencias del Comportamiento. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Campus de Somosaguas. 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón – Madrid (Spain). Phone: +34-913943061. E-mail: elisaperez@psi.ucm.es
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Abstract

In two experiments we tested the hypothesis that cognitive processing based on spatial imagery produces more deterioration of visual perception than cognitive processing based on verbal codes. So, we studied the effect on visual perception of two cognitive tasks, one of spatial imagery and the other a verbal task. In the first one, with 30 participants, we analyzed the mental load and ocular behaviors in both cognitive tasks. In the second experiment, with 29 participants, we studied the effect of both tasks on a visual search task, using a dual-task experimental paradigm. The verbal task presented higher mental load than the imagery task when both tasks were carried out with visual search task, and there was more deterioration in stimulus detection with the verbal task. We can conclude that: (1) cognitive tasks produce important deterioration in the capacities of visual search and identification of stimuli; (2) this deterioration has two components: (a) an inefficient search, associated with alterations of the gaze patterns while performing cognitive tasks, and (b) a general interference, nonspecific to spatial codes, in the process of identification of looked-at stimuli; (3) this cognitive interference is related to the mental load or effort required by the cognitive task.

Mediante dos experimentos hemos puesto a prueba la hipótesis de que el procesamiento cognitivo basado en imaginería espacial produce más deterioro en la percepción visual que el procesamiento basado en códigos verbales. Hemos estudiado el efecto de dos tareas cognitivas, una de imaginería espacial y otra verbal, sobre la percepción visual. En el primer experimento, con 30 participantes, analizamos la carga mental y el comportamiento ocular en ambas tareas cognitivas. En el segundo experimento, con 29 participantes, estudiamos el efecto de ambas tareas sobre una tarea de búsqueda visual, usando el paradigma experimental de doble tarea. La tarea verbal presentó mayor carga mental que la de imaginería espacial cuando ambas tareas se realizaron junto con la tarea de búsqueda visual y hubo un mayor deterioro en la detección de estímulos con la tarea verbal. Concluimos que (1) las tareas cognitivas producen un importante deterioro en capacidades de búsqueda visual e identificación de estímulos visuales; (2) este deterioro tiene dos componentes: (a) búsqueda ineficiente, asociada con alteraciones del patrón de mirada mientras se desarrollan tareas cognitivas, y (b) interferencia general, no específica de códigos espaciales, en el proceso de identificación de estímulos mirados; (3) esta interferencia cognitiva está relacionada con la carga mental o esfuerzo requerido por tareas cognitivas.

Keywords

visual searchmental loadperceptual interferenceinattentional blindnessbúsqueda visualcarga mentalinterferencia perceptivaceguera atencional
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 14 , Issue 2 , November 2011 , pp. 556 - 568
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2011

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