Preparatory Template Activation during Search for Alternating Targets

Visual search is guided by representations of target-defining features (attentional templates). We tracked the time course of template activation processes during the preparation for search in a task where the identity of color-defined search targets switched across successive trials (ABAB). Task-irrelevant color probes that matched either the upcoming relevant target color or the previous now-irrelevant target color were presented every 200 msec during the interval between search displays. N2pc components (markers of attentional capture) were measured for both types of probes at each time point. A reliable probe N2pc indicates that the corresponding color template is active at the time when the probe appears. N2pcs of equal size emerged from 1000 msec before search display onset for both relevant-color and irrelevant-color probes, demonstrating that both color templates were activated concurrently. Evidence for color-selective attentional control was found only immediately before the arrival of the search display, where N2pcs were larger for relevant-color probes. These results reveal important limitations in the executive control of search preparation in tasks where two targets alternate across trials. Although the identity of the upcoming target is fully predictable, both task-relevant and task-irrelevant target templates are coactivated. Knowledge about target identity selectively biases these template activation processes in a temporally discrete fashion, guided by temporal expectations about when the target template will become relevant.