Monitoring object orientation: Effects of layout complexity, viewpoint changes, and object function

Studies of spatial representations have typically limited their analysis to memory for object location. Three experiments examined whether another spatial feature, object orientation, could be monitored and represented in a similar fashion. In Experiment 1, an adaptation of the change detection paradigm of Simons and Wang (1998), we found that, whereas unitary location or identity changes were readily noticed, generalized orientation changes were not. Experiment 2 showed that orientation monitoring is strongly affected by layout complexity, viewpoint changes, and the extent of array modifications. Finally, Experiment 3 suggested that an object's behavioral relevance may selectively enhance its orientation processing.