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The Role of Selective Attention in Perceptual Switching By The Role of Selective Attention in Perceptual Switching By Brenda Marie Stoesz A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Psychology University of Manitoba Winnipeg, Manitoba © Stoesz, Brenda M.; 2008 Perceptual Switching ii Abstract When viewing ambiguous figures, individuals can exert selective attentional control over their perceptual reversibility behaviour (e.g., Strüber & Stadler, 1999). In the current study, we replicated this finding but we also found that ambiguous figures containing faces are processed quite differently from those containing objects. Furthermore, inverting an ambiguous figure containing faces (i.e., Rubin’s vase-face) resulted in an “inversion effect”. These findings highlight the importance of considering how we attend to faces in addition to how we perceive and process faces. Describing the perceptual reversal patterns of individuals in the general population allowed us to draw comparisons to behaviours exhibited by individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS). The group data suggested that these individuals were less affected by figure type or stimulus inversion. Examination of individual scores, moreover, revealed that the majority of participants with AS showed an atypical reversal pattern, particularly with ambiguous figures containing faces, and an atypical inversion effect. Together, our results show that ambiguous figures can be a very valuable tool for examining face processing mechanisms in the general population and other distinct groups of individuals, particularly those diagnosed with AS. Perceptual Switching iii Acknowledgements I would like to deeply thank my mentor, Dr. Lorna S. Jakobson, who, over the year that I have worked on this particular research project, provided me with much support and guidance. Without her assistance, this research project would likely not have come to fruition. I extend my thanks and appreciation to my committee members: Dr. Jonathan Marotta, Dr. Tony Szturm, and Dr. Reza Fazel. Third, I would like to thank Andrea Piotrowski, Nicole Taylor, and Kate Williamson who provided feedback and valuable insights. In addition, I would like to thank Dr. Jason Leboe for the use of his eye-tracking system. Thank you to Dr. Janine Montgomery for assisting in participant recruitment. Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my husband, Keith, and daughter, Piper, for their continued encouragement and patience throughout the duration of this research project. Perceptual Switching iv Table of Contents Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………..ii Acknowledgements ……………………………………………………………………...iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. iv List of Figures …………………………………………………………………………..vii CHAPTER 1 General Introduction........................................................................................................ 1 Face processing in the general population .......................................................... 2 Face processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.......................... 4 Using ambiguous figures to study face processing .............................................. 6 CHAPTER 2 The Effects of Figure Type, Task Instructions, and Stimulus Inversion on Perceptual Reversal Patterns .............................................................................................................. 8 Factors affecting perceptual reversals................................................................. 9 Exploring the effect of inversion on perceptual reversals.................................. 15 Summary............................................................................................................. 19 Method....................................................................................................................... 19 Participants ........................................................................................................ 19 Materials and Procedure.................................................................................... 20 Spontaneous Reversals Task..................................................................... 21 Informed Reversals Experiment................................................................ 22 Data Analysis............................................................................................ 26 Results........................................................................................................................ 27 Spontaneous Reversals Task............................................................................... 27 Summary. .................................................................................................. 27 Informed Reversals Experiment: Passive Viewing Condition............................ 28 Summary. .................................................................................................. 34 Perceptual Switching v Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Instruction ....................................... 35 Summary. .................................................................................................. 37 Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Inversion.......................................... 38 Passive viewing condition......................................................................... 38 Effect of instruction................................................................................... 40 Summary.................................................................................................... 41 Discussion.................................................................................................................. 42 Spontaneous Reversals Task............................................................................... 42 Informed Reversals Experiment: Passive Viewing Condition............................ 44 Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Instruction ....................................... 48 Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Inversion.......................................... 50 Conclusions ........................................................................................................ 51 CHAPTER 3 Perceptual Reversal Patterns in Individuals with Asperger Syndrome .................... 53 Abnormalities in processing social stimuli......................................................... 54 The effect of inversion on perceptual reversal rate............................................ 57 Summary............................................................................................................. 61 Method....................................................................................................................... 61 Participants ........................................................................................................ 61 Materials and Procedure.................................................................................... 62 Results........................................................................................................................ 63 Spontaneous reversals experiment ..................................................................... 63 Informed reversals experiment: Passive viewing............................................... 64 Perceptual reversal rate. .......................................................................... 65 Time spent reporting each interpretation. ................................................ 68 Number of fixations................................................................................... 71 Summary ……………………………………………………….………………...75 Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Instruction ....................................... 76 Summary. .................................................................................................. 82 Perceptual Switching vi Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Inversion.......................................... 82 Passive viewing condition......................................................................... 82 Effect of instruction................................................................................... 85 Summary. .................................................................................................. 88 Discussion.................................................................................................................. 89 Spontaneous Reversals Task............................................................................... 90 Informed Reversals Experiment: Passive Viewing Condition............................ 91 Informed Reversals Experiment: Effect of Inversion.......................................... 93 Top-down Control of Attention in Individuals with AS ...................................... 95 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER 4 Conclusions and Future Directions ............................................................................... 97 Future Directions ............................................................................................... 98 References...................................................................................................................... 101 Appendix A...................................................................................................................
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