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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 3, 2026

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Using Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Measure Set-Specific Capture, a Consequence of Distraction While Multitasking

Published on: August 29, 2018

Prediction and Prioritisation: How Reward Learning Shapes Attentional Capture.

Mike Le Pelley¹

¹School of Psychology, UNSW Sydney, Australia.

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (2006)

|May 2, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Prior experience with stimuli, not just goals or salience, rapidly shapes attention. This selection history influences attentional exploitation and exploration, revealing a deep link between learning and attention.

Keywords:

attention capture conditioning reward learning selection history sign tracking

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Learning Sciences

Background:

Selective attention traditionally involves goal-directed and stimulus-driven mechanisms.
A third control system, selection history, is increasingly recognized, where prior experience shapes attention independently of goals and salience.

Purpose of the Study:

To review research on selection history in attentional control.
To propose a framework distinguishing history-driven attentional exploitation and exploration.

Main Methods:

Review of existing literature on selection history and attentional prioritization.
Analysis of how reward learning modulates attention automatically and rapidly.

Main Results:

Prior experience with stimuli, particularly learned rewards, rapidly and automatically modulates attentional prioritization.
Selection history influences attentional control independently of current goals and stimulus salience.

Conclusions:

Attention is fundamentally shaped by learning and prior experience.
A framework differentiating attentional exploitation (leveraging reliable info) and exploration (resolving uncertainty) is proposed.
Understanding the interaction between learning and attention is crucial for decision-making and behavior.