Global-Local Processing Task

Attention Duration: ~15 minutes
Global-Local Processing Task screenshot

Description

Navon hierarchical letter task examining global vs. local visual processing and attentional focus. Participants respond to either small letters or large letter shapes composed of smaller letters, testing the ability to selectively attend to different levels of hierarchical visual stimuli.

About This Test

Participants view large letters (global level) composed of smaller letters (local level) and respond to target letters at either the global or local level depending on the block condition. For example, a large 'H' might be made of small 'S' letters. In global attention blocks, participants respond to the large letter shape; in local attention blocks, they respond to the small component letters. The task includes congruent trials (same letter at both levels), incongruent trials (different letters), and conditions with and without spatial scatter of the local elements. This design measures selective attention, the global precedence effect, and interference between processing levels.

Test Details

Test ID:
globallocal
Main File:
globallocal.pbl
Parameters:
12 configurable parameters
Languages:
German English Spanish French Italian Dutch Portuguese

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Scientific Background

Original Task References:

These references describe the original task that this PEBL implementation is based on.

  • Navon, D. (1977). Forest before trees: The precedence of global features in visual perception. Cognitive Psychology, 9(3), 353-383.
  • McKone, E., Davies, A. A., Fernando, D., Aalders, R., Leung, H., Wickramariyaratne, T., & Platow, M. J. (2010). Asia has the global advantage: Race and visual attention. Vision research, 50(16), 1540-1549.
  • Kimchi, R. (1992). Primacy of wholistic processing and global/local paradigm: a critical review. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 24-38.

Data Output

Creates detailed trial-by-trial CSV file and summary statistics file. Records stimulus configuration, congruency, response times, accuracy, and performance by block and condition.

About This Test

Navon hierarchical letter task examining global vs. local visual processing and attentional focus. Participants respond to either small letters or large letter shapes composed of smaller letters, testing the ability to selectively attend to different levels of hierarchical visual stimuli.

Category: Attention
Estimated Duration: 15 minutes
Available Translations: 7 languages

Documentation Sources:
Test description file, Test implementation, Parameter schema

Documentation Status: Standard