The Target-Defining Attributes Can Determine the Effects of Attentional Control Settings in Singleton Search Mode

The attentional control settings (ACSs) can help us efficiently select targets in complex real-world environments. Previous research has shown that category-specific ACS demands more attentional resources than feature-specific ACS. However, comparing natural or alphanumeric categories with color features does not distinguish the effects of processing hierarchy and target-defining properties. The present study employed a spatial cueing paradigm to better understand the effects of target-defining properties and search mode on attentional resources in visual search. The target was defined as a combination of shape feature (shape "X") and color category (green in different shades), which generated shape-specific ACS (sACS) and color-specific ACS (cACS). The degrees of shape matching (SM), color matching (CM), and spatial validity between the cue and target were manipulated. Search modes were manipulated by changing the homogeneity of distractors in either shape or color dimensions. Results show a main effect of CM across all four experiments, indicating that category can tune on attentional capture consistently. Importantly, the analysis between four experiments found different interactions across experiments, suggesting that the singleton search mode can reduce the effects of ACS and increase the interactions with other factors. In conclusion, this study suggests that the effects of ACS on attentional capture are determined by both target-defining properties and search mode, rather than processing hierarchy. The results indicate that attentional processes are highly dynamic and context-dependent, requiring a flexible allocation of resources to effectively prioritize relevant information.