Predictability matters: on the stimulus-driven account of the multiple-cue effect

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Visual Attention

Background:

• Previous research suggested attentional focus can split among multiple noncontiguous locations.
• The multiple-cue effect, observed with predictive cues, was previously attributed to stimulus-driven attentional capture.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of cue predictability in the multiple-cue effect.
• To determine if attentional focus can be split and whether this is stimulus-driven or influenced by top-down control.

Main Methods:

• Manipulated cue validity to be predictive (50%) and nonpredictive (12.5%).
• Utilized multiple-cue displays to present cues and targets in various locations.
• Compared performance under different cue validity conditions and cue-target display durations.

Main Results:

• The multiple-cue effect was eliminated when cues were nonpredictive (12.5% validity).
• The multiple-cue effect was replicated with 50% cue validity, indicating a cue-triggered orienting effect.
• No visual search advantage was found when cues remained on the target display.

Conclusions:

• The validity effect in multiple-cue displays may involve top-down control mechanisms.
• Cue predictability is a critical factor to consider when testing attention theories.
• The findings question the purely exogenous nature of attention in previous multiple-cue display studies.