Domain-General Ability Underlies Complex Object Ensemble Processing

When seeing groups of objects, various features can be extracted to form an ensemble representation, including low-level features such as orientation and higher-level features like facial expression. Past research proposed distinct abilities for ensemble coding of high-level versus low-level visual features, but the only complex objects used were faces. Here, we examine evidence for a shared ability supporting ensemble representations for complex objects from different object categories. In 2 experiments, participants completed an ensemble mean judgment task for an array of 4 objects, including planes and birds (Experiment 1) or cars and birds (Experiment 2). We also measured and controlled for domain-specific recognition ability. Across the 2 experiments, performance on ensemble judgments with different objects were correlated, even after controlled for domain-specific recognition abilities. These findings provide the strongest evidence to date of a domain-general ability involved in complex object ensemble coding.

Automated summary

This study examined the shared ability supporting ensemble representations for complex objects from different categories. The results showed that ensemble judgments of different objects were correlated across experiments, even after controlling for domain-specific recognition abilities. These findings provide strong evidence for a domain-general ability involved in complex object ensemble coding.