Response, rather than target detection, triggers the attentional boost effect in visual search

Area of Science:

• Cognitive psychology
• Attention research
• Memory studies

Background:

• The attentional boost effect paradoxically shows background scenes are better remembered with targets than distractors in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP).
• Previous research linked this effect to target detection, but the role of response selection remained unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether target detection or response selection drives the attentional boost effect.
• To dissociate the influence of target detection from response requirements in memory for background stimuli.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a visual search task where participants searched for a target among distractors.
• Manipulated response requirements (Go, No-Go, two-choice) to separate target detection from response selection.
• Investigated the attentional boost effect with both overt button press and covert counting responses.

Main Results:

• Objects paired with a Go response were better remembered than those with a No-Go response.
• This memory enhancement occurred regardless of whether the response was linked to target presence or absence.
• The findings were consistent across different response modalities (button press and covert counting).

Conclusions:

• The attentional boost effect in visual search is driven by the requirement to respond, not solely by target detection.
• Response selection plays a critical role in memory consolidation for concurrently presented background stimuli.
• This study extends the understanding of attentional effects on memory beyond RSVP paradigms.