Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Task¶
HED task ID: hedtsk_rapid_serial_visual_presentation
Family: Oddball, vigilance and continuous performance tasks (also Visual search and tracking tasks)
Also known as: RSVP Task, Attentional Blink Task, AB Task, RSVP Attentional Blink, RSVP Target Detection, RSVP Stream Task, Dual-Target RSVP
A rapid stream of visual items is presented at a single location (typically 6-20 items/second); participants detect one or more targets among distractors. Target detection accuracy, especially for a second target shortly after a first (attentional blink), indexes temporal attention allocation.
Description¶
Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) is a paradigm for studying the temporal dynamics of visual attention. A stream of visual items (letters, digits, words, images, or complex scenes) is presented sequentially at a single spatial location at rates of 6-20 items per second. Participants must detect, identify, or categorize one or more targets embedded among distractors. The signature finding is the attentional blink (Raymond, Shapiro, & Arnell, 1992): when two targets appear in the stream, detection of the second target (T2) is severely impaired when it follows the first target (T1) by approximately 200-500 ms (lag 2-5), recovering at longer lags. Lag-1 sparing (intact T2 detection when T2 immediately follows T1) is a robust exception. The attentional blink reveals fundamental bottlenecks in temporal attention and has generated competing theoretical accounts: the two-stage model (Chun & Potter, 1995), the episodic simultaneous type/serial token model (Bowman & Wyble, 2007), and the boost-and-bounce model (Olivers & Meeter, 2008). Beyond the attentional blink, RSVP is used to study categorical perception (rapid scene gist extraction), emotion-attention interactions (emotion-induced blindness), and rapid image triage. Applications include brain-computer interfaces (RSVP-based P300 spellers and image triage systems, including satellite imagery analysis), clinical assessment of temporal attention in ADHD and dyslexia, and speed-reading technologies.
Inclusion test¶
An experiment is an instance of this task when its procedure matches, it manipulates at least one of the listed variables, and it records at least one of the listed measures.
Procedure |
A rapid serial stream of visual items is presented at a single location; participants detect, identify, or categorize one or more targets embedded among distractors. Presentation rate is typically 6-20 items per second. |
Manipulation |
Number of targets (single vs. dual); T1-T2 lag (temporal separation between targets); target-distractor similarity; stream rate (items per second); target category (letter among digits, face among objects, scene category); distractor set composition; emotional content of targets or distractors. |
Measurement |
Target detection accuracy (T1 and T2); attentional blink magnitude (T2 accuracy deficit at short lags, conditional on correct T1 detection); lag-1 sparing; T1-T2 intrusion errors (order reversals); P300 ERP amplitude for detected targets; d-prime for target discrimination. |
Variations¶
Named versions that change what the participant experiences or does. The identifier
of a variation is hedvar_<task>__<variation>.
Variation |
Description |
Justification |
|---|---|---|
Dual-Target Attentional Blink
|
Two targets in a single stream; T2 accuracy at varying lags from T1. The canonical paradigm for studying the attentional blink. Raymond et al. (1992). |
Canonical AB: T2 missed when presented shortly after T1 |
Single-Target RSVP
|
One target in the stream; measures basic temporal attention and target detection at rapid rates. Baseline for attentional blink studies. |
Detect or identify one target in stream; no AB protocol |
Emotion-Induced Blindness
|
Emotionally arousing distractor (e.g., threat image) impairs detection of a subsequent neutral target. Emotional analogue of the attentional blink. Most et al. (2005). |
Emotional T1 causes blindness to T2; retained per §5.1 (EMOT retired) |
Rapid Scene Categorization
|
Natural scene images presented at high rates (20 ms per image); participants detect a target category (animal, vehicle). Demonstrates rapid perceptual gist extraction. Potter (1976). |
Categorize natural scenes at rapid presentation rates; different stimulus class |
RSVP Image Triage (BCI)
|
Participants view rapid streams of images (e.g., satellite imagery, surveillance footage) while EEG detects P300 responses to target-category images. Used in brain-computer interface applications for rapid image screening. |
Brain-computer interface using RSVP for rapid image tagging; different application and response structure |
Triple-RSVP (Multiple Streams)
|
Three concurrent RSVP streams; target can appear in any stream. Increases target detection rate for BCI applications; adds spatial competition to temporal attention demands. |
Three simultaneous streams; different attentional load structure |
Whole-Report RSVP
|
Report all items from a short RSVP stream (4-8 items). Measures visual short-term memory capacity under rapid presentation conditions. |
Report all items seen; different response requirement |
RSVP with Task Switch
|
T1 and T2 require different judgments (e.g., identify T1 letter, detect T2 presence). Task switch between targets amplifies the attentional blink. |
Task changes within or between streams; adds switching demand |
Detection vs. Identification
|
T2 requiring simple presence detection vs. full identity report; manipulates the depth of processing needed to reveal the blink. |
Detect presence vs. identify identity; different judgment type |
Three-Target Variant
|
Third target added to probe extended temporal limits of attention beyond the standard T1-T2 paradigm. |
Three targets in stream; extends AB to three-target scenario |
Cross-Modal Attentional Blink
|
Targets in different modalities (e.g., auditory T1, visual T2); tests whether the attentional bottleneck is supramodal. |
T1 and T2 in different modalities; tests cross-modal attentional resources |
Emotional Attentional Blink
|
Emotional stimuli (faces, words) as T1 or T2; emotional targets modulate blink magnitude. Distinct from emotion-induced blindness (which uses emotional distractors). |
Emotional T2; retained per §5.1 (EMOT retired) |
Spatial Two-Stream RSVP
|
Two concurrent RSVP streams at different locations; targets may appear in either stream, separating spatial and temporal attention limits. |
Two streams at different spatial locations; tests spatial attention in RSVP |
Cognitive processes¶
This task is designed to engage the following processes:
Key references¶
Raymond, J. E., Shapiro, K. L., & Arnell, K. M. (1992). Temporary suppression of visual processing in an RSVP task: An attentional blink? Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 18(3), 849-860. (DOI, PubMed)
Chun, M. M., & Potter, M. C. (1995). A two-stage model for multiple target detection in rapid serial visual presentation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21(1), 109-127. (DOI, PubMed)
Potter, M. C. (1976). Short-term conceptual memory for pictures. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Learning and Memory, 2(5), 509-522. (DOI, PubMed)
Further references¶
Dux, P. E., & Marois, R. (2009). The attentional blink: A review of data and theory. Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 71(8), 1683-1700. (DOI, PubMed)
Olivers, C. N. L., & Meeter, M. (2008). A boost and bounce theory of temporal attention. Psychological Review, 115(4), 836-863. (DOI, PubMed)
Most, S. B., Chun, M. M., Widders, D. M., & Zald, D. H. (2005). Attentional rubbernecking: Cognitive control and personality in emotion-induced blindness. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 12(4), 654-661. (DOI, PubMed)
Marois, R., & Ivanoff, J. (2005). Capacity limits of information processing in the brain. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 9(6), 296-305. (DOI, PubMed)
Asplund, C. L., Fougnie, D., Zughni, S., Martin, J. W., & Marois, R. (2014). The attentional blink reveals the probabilistic nature of discrete conscious perception. Psychological Science, 25(3), 824-831. (DOI, PubMed)
External links¶
Cognitive Atlas: rapid serial visual presentation task