Expectation violations in sensorimotor sequences: shifting from LTM-based attentional selection to visual search

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Long-term memory (LTM) guides attentional selection and sensorimotor actions.
• Understanding how attentional control shifts upon expectation violation is crucial for complex tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of disconfirmed LTM expectations on attentional selection.
• To determine if a visual-search mode replaces LTM-based selection after expectation violations.
• To examine the effects of revalidating prior LTM expectations.

Main Methods:

• A computerized number-connection test assessed participants' sensorimotor performance and gaze.
• Participants clicked numbered shapes in sequence under varying conditions of feature switching (numbers, shapes, both, or none).
• Trials included expectation violations and subsequent reversion to the original arrangement.

Main Results:

• Sequence-affecting number switches significantly slowed clicking and increased visual search behavior.
• Eye-hand synchrony decreased, indicating a shift in attentional control.
• These effects extended beyond the immediate deviant elements and persisted over trials, reappearing during reversion.

Conclusions:

• Violating LTM expectations in well-learned sensorimotor sequences triggers a regression to a visual-search mode of attention.
• This shift is a broader effect, not limited to specific deviant items or actions.
• Attentional control dynamically adapts to expectation violations and restorations, impacting performance in complex tasks.