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[P1.15]: Development of focused attention in visual search experiments
Author(s) -
Rojas M.A.,
Quintero E.,
Gómez C.M.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.761
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1873-474X
pISSN - 0736-5748
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2010.07.056
Subject(s) - citation , library science , psychology , computer science
Visual search implicates the use of focused attention in order to discriminate a target between distractors which share some visual attributes. In pop-out type of experiments the search for the target occurs in a parallel form, and requires less attentional resources. In fact pop-out search can be considered as a parallel search based on a single attribute. Present research tries to define how parallel and sequential search evolves with age in children. The sample consists of 69 subjects aged between 6 and 16 years of age, and a mean equal to 9.8. The group was composed by 38 girls and 31 boys. Visual display with 2, 4 and 6 items were presented. Distractors differ in one attribute from target in pop-out while in visual search they differ in two attributes. The results show that the difference in reaction times between ages is minimal in parallel search and increases in serial search. Paradoxically, the slope for the attentional sequential search defining the time for scanning one object (RTs. vs. number of distractors) was less pronounced in children than in adolescents However, there is a greater difference when comparing the ages with the number of hits. At middle ages (10 years old) the number of hits increases dramatically. We conclude that young children have more difficulty in processing information presented when focused attention is required than adolescents, and they show much more errors. Maturation of this function as shown by visual search should occur around 10 years, while pop-out seems to occur earlier.