DOI: 10.5061/dryad.7bc49
title: Data from: Are categorical spatial relations encoded by shifting visual attention between objects?

description: Perceiving not just values, but relations between values, is critical to
 human cognition. We tested the predictions of a proposed mechanism for
 processing categorical spatial relations between two objects—the shift
 account of relation processing—which states that relations such as ‘above’
 or ‘below’ are extracted by shifting visual attention upward or downward
 in space. If so, then shifts of attention should improve the
 representation of spatial relations, compared to a control condition of
 identity memory. Participants viewed a pair of briefly flashed objects and
 were then tested on either the relative spatial relation or identity of
 one of those objects. Using eye tracking to reveal participants’ voluntary
 shifts of attention over time, we found that when initial fixation was on
 neither object, relational memory showed an absolute advantage for the
 object following an attention shift, while identity memory showed no
 advantage for either object. This result is consistent with the shift
 account of relation processing. When initial fixation began on one of the
 objects, identity memory strongly benefited this fixated object, while
 relational memory only showed a relative benefit for objects following an
 attention shift. This result is also consistent, although not as uniquely,
 with the shift account of relation processing. Taken together, we suggest
 that the attention shift account provides a mechanistic explanation for
 the overall results. This account can potentially serve as the common
 mechanism underlying both linguistic and perceptual representations of
 spatial relations.
description: RTThis Excel file includes
 the reaction time data from all four experiments in the publication. The
 experiment name on the rightmost column (E1, E2a, E2b, E3) corresponds to
 the manuscript sections of the same name. The experimental design is
 explained in the manuscript in the methods section with the same
 experiment name. Further description of the column names and the meaning
 of associated values can be found in the ReadMe.txt.SaccadeThis Excel file includes the saccade reports for three eye tracking experiments in the publication, generated using EyeLink 1000 Dataviewer software. The experiment name on the rightmost column (E1, E2a, E3) corresponds to the manuscript sections of the same name. The experimental design is explained in the manuscript in the methods section with the same experiment name. Further description of the column names and the meaning of associated values can be found in the ReadMe.txt.FixationThis Excel file includes the fixation reports for three eye tracking experiments in the publication, generated using EyeLink 1000 Dataviewer software. The experiment name on the rightmost column (E1, E2a, E3) corresponds to the manuscript sections of the same name. The experimental design is explained in the manuscript in the methods section with the same experiment name. Further description of the column names and the meaning of associated values can be found in the ReadMe.txt.