Abstract
In what way is information processing influenced by the rules underlying a dynamic scene? In two studies we consider this question by examining the relationship between attention allocation in a dynamic visual scene (ie a singles tennis match) and the absence/presence of rule application (ie point allocation task). During training participants observed short clips of a tennis match, and for each they indicated the order of the items (eg players, ball, court lines, umpire, and crowd) from most to least attended. Participants performed a similar task in the test phase, but were also presented with a specific goal which was to indicate which of the two players won the point. In the second experiment, the effects of goal-directed vs non-goal directed observation were compared based on behavioural measures (self-reported ranks and point allocation) and eye-tracking data. Critical differences were revealed between observers regarding their attention allocation for items related to the specific goal (eg court lines). Overall, by varying the levels of goal specificity, observers showed different sensitivity to rule-based items in a dynamic visual scene according to the allocation of attention.