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The attentional blink in space and time
Arni Kristjánsson1, Ken Nakayama
1Vision Sciences Laboratory, Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. a.kristjansson@ucl.ac.uk
Vision Research
|August 10, 2002
Summary
The attentional blink (AB) is not constant across space. Attention to one location can impair processing nearby, but improve it further away, suggesting lateral inhibition.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- The attentional blink (AB) is a phenomenon where attention to one target impairs the detection of a second target presented shortly after.
- Previous research has primarily focused on temporal variations of the AB, with less attention paid to its spatial characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spatiotemporal variations in the attentional blink.
- To examine how attention allocated to one location affects processing at other spatial locations.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using simultaneous letter streams presented in a circular array.
- Participants identified two target digits (T1 and T2) with varying temporal lags.
- A cued discrimination task was employed in the second experiment.
Main Results:
- The attentional blink (AB) exhibited significant spatial variations.
- Discrimination performance was impaired at locations near T1 but improved at more distant locations.
- Recovery from the AB occurred faster at farther locations compared to closer ones.
Conclusions:
- The findings support a model where a region of poor attentional resolution surrounds the attended site.
- Lateral inhibition is proposed as a neural mechanism to explain these spatial effects, suppressing distracting information around the focus of attention.