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Time Course of Location-Cuing Effects With a Probability Manipulation
Lawrence R Gottlob1, Marylou Cheal2, Don R Lyon3
1a Arizona State University Duke University Medical Center.
The Journal of General Psychology
|February 2, 2017
Summary
Visual attention allocation is influenced by cue probability, with observers consistently prioritizing more likely locations. These effects remain stable across different cue-target timing intervals, suggesting independent attentional processes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Understanding how visual attention is allocated is crucial for explaining perceptual performance.
- Cueing paradigms are widely used to investigate the mechanisms of attentional control.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the impact of cue probability on the deployment of visual attention.
- To investigate how cue probability effects interact with stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA).
Main Methods:
- A location-cuing paradigm with four possible target locations was employed.
- Three blocked cue probabilities (100%, 75%, 50%) were used across eight cue-target onset intervals (0-233 ms).
Main Results:
- Target discrimination accuracy was significantly higher at probable locations compared to less probable ones.
- This effect of cue probability on accuracy was consistent across all tested cue-target onset intervals.
- Attentional allocation varied with cue probability, showing a stable pattern over time.
Conclusions:
- Visual attention is allocated based on cue probability, demonstrating a flexible yet consistent control mechanism.
- The findings suggest that the influence of cue probability and stimulus onset asynchrony on attention may involve independent underlying processes.
