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Contingent attentional capture or delayed allocation of attention?
R W Remington1, C L Folk, J P McLean
1NASA Ames Research Center, MS262-4, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA. rremington@mail.arc.nasa.gov
Perception & Psychophysics
|April 3, 2001
Summary
External stimuli involuntarily shift spatial attention, known as attentional capture. This study confirms that attentional capture reflects on-line involuntary shifts, not just delayed voluntary attention.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Attention Studies
Background:
- Attentional capture describes involuntary shifts in spatial attention triggered by external stimuli.
- The contingent involuntary orienting account suggests capture depends on top-down factors aligning with behavioral goals.
- Spatial cuing studies typically show effects only when cues possess goal-relevant properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate decision-level explanations for the spatial cuing effect.
- To differentiate between on-line involuntary attention shifts and post-presentation delays in voluntary attention allocation.
- To test whether spatial cuing effects reflect genuine attentional capture.
Main Methods:
- Conducted three spatial cuing experiments.
- Examined preferential processing of items at cued locations to test delayed-allocation accounts.
- Analyzed costs and benefits within the spatial cuing paradigm.
Main Results:
- Provided evidence against decision-level explanations.
- Demonstrated that costs and benefits in spatial cuing experiments reflect on-line attentional capture.
- Supported the role of involuntary orienting in spatial attention.
Conclusions:
- Spatial cuing effects are indicative of on-line attentional capture.
- Findings challenge purely decision-level accounts of attentional control.
- Results have implications for understanding the mechanisms of attentional control.