Contextual Modulation of Competitive Object Candidates in Early Object Recognition

Object recognition is imperfect; often incomplete processing or deprived
information yield misperceptions (i.e., misidentification) of objects. While quickly
rectified and typically benign, instances of such errors can produce dangerous
consequences (e.g., police shootings). Through a series of experiments, this study
examined the competitive process of multiple object interpretations (candidates) during
the earlier stages of object recognition process using a lexical decision task paradigm.
Participants encountered low-pass filtered objects that were previously demonstrated to
evoke multiple responses: a highly frequented interpretation (“primary candidates”) and a
lesser frequented interpretation (“secondary candidates”). When objects were presented
without context, no facilitative effects were observed for primary candidates. However,
secondary candidates demonstrated evidence for being actively suppressed.