Spatial biases of covert attention with dynamic gaze position

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Visual Attention Research
• Human Spatial Cognition

Background:

• Humans exhibit spatial biases in overt attention, typically centering on visual content or favoring the left visual field.
• The spatial distribution of covert attention, which involves attention shifts without eye movements, remains less understood compared to overt attention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether covert attention demonstrates spatial biases comparable to those observed in overt attention.
• To explore the relationship between overt and covert attention allocation and their respective spatial biases.

Main Methods:

• Experiment 1: Participants performed overt tracking of a moving dot while covertly discriminating peripheral probes, assessing performance based on gaze location.
• Experiment 2: Covert attention distribution was evaluated during free-viewing of movies using pupillary light responses as an index.
• Both experiments analyzed spatial biases in covert attention relative to gaze position and screen location.

Main Results:

• Covert attention exhibited a spatiotopic bias towards the screen center, irrespective of gaze location, mirroring overt attention patterns.
• A retinotopic center bias in covert attention was observed when overt attention was directed leftward, but not rightward.
• Results suggest covert attention biases are contingent on overt attention allocation, particularly its common leftward tendency.

Conclusions:

• Covert attention displays spatial biases, including a preference for the screen center, influenced by overt attention.
• The findings imply that covert attention may compensate for spatial regions not covered by overt attention, especially when overt attention is leftward.
• This research highlights the interconnectedness of overt and covert attention mechanisms in shaping spatial awareness.