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The interplay between selective attention and summary statistics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 November 2025

Yonatan Vanunu Open the ORCID record for Yonatan Vanunu [Opens in a new window]  and
Roger Ratcliff Open the ORCID record for Roger Ratcliff [Opens in a new window]
Yonatan Vanunu*
Affiliation:
Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel yvanunu@tauex.tau.ac.ul Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA rogerratcliff22@gmail.com
Roger Ratcliff
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, USA rogerratcliff22@gmail.com
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Rosenholtz argues that summary statistics explain attentional phenomena via peripheral vision. While we acknowledge their role, we challenge the claim that they serve as an alternative mechanism. Instead, we argue that summary statistics and selective attention are interdependent, shaping visual perception under limited capacity, as evidenced by perceptual biases in numerosity judgments and mean estimations of shape size, color, and position.

Information

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e158
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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