Words before pictures: the role of language in biasing visual attention

The present study investigated whether semantic processing of word and object primes can bias visual attention using top-down influences, even within an exogenous cueing framework. We hypothesized that real words and familiar objects would more effectively bias attentional engagement and target detection than pseudowords or pseudo-objects, as they can trigger prior knowledge to influence attention orienting and target detection.

To examine this, we conducted two web-based eye-tracking experiments that ensured participants maintained central fixation on the screen during remote data collection. In Experiment 1, participants viewed a central prime-either a real word or pseudo-word-followed by a spatial cue directing them to a target on the left or right, which they located by pressing a key. Experiment 2 presented participants with real objects or pseudo-objects as primes, with primes and targets that either matched or did not match in identity. Importantly, primes in both experiments conveyed no information about target location.

Results from Experiment 1 indicated that real word primes were associated with faster target detection than pseudo-words. In Experiment 2, participants detected targets more quickly when primed with real objects and when prime-target identity matched. Comparisons across both experiments suggest an automatic influence of semantic knowledge on target detection and spatial attention.

These findings indicate that words can contribute to attentional capture, potentially through top-down processes, even within an exogenous cueing paradigm in which semantic processing is task-irrelevant.