From the Corner of My Eye: The Role of Extrafoveal Recognition Processing in Search Performance

There has been broad consensus that effective visual search relies on comparing the visual input with an active representation of the target's features stored in working memory, known as the search template. However, recent findings challenge this notion by indicating that efficient search can occur even without a search template. That is, individuals could locate a familiar face faster than chance, even when unaware of the specific person they were searching for. If a search template is not mandatory, what could be the guiding mechanism of efficient search? Two experiments suggest that focusing on extrafoveal abilities holds the key to this question. Specifically, we demonstrate that recognition processes, encompassing familiarity and recollection, can take place through extrafoveal vision. Moreover, the capacity to determine whether a face is familiar emerges as a significant predictor of search performance. These findings contribute to our understanding of visual attention models and highlight individual differences in extrafoveal visual processing capabilities.