Ensemble processing can be influenced by attentional cueing

At any given moment, the human visual system encounters a wealth of sensory information that far exceeds the processing capacity of cognitive mechanisms such as visual attention and visual working memory. To overcome these capacity limitations, our visual system uses both ensemble perception and selective attention to navigate our visual environment. The goal of the current study is to explore potential interactions between these two adaptive cognitive processes. That is, we investigated whether spatial attention plays a role in forming ensemble representations. Specifically, we utilized a spatial attentional cueing paradigm under various temporal constraints to examine if spatial attention influences the processing of average orientation from an ensemble of objects. On each trial, participants saw two empty circles to the left and right of a fixation cross. Next, an arrow cue appeared at fixation for 100 ms, and then the ensemble was displayed for either 50 ms or 150 ms. The arrow cue was predictive, such that the ensemble appeared at the validly cued location on 75% of trials. Participants were instructed to report the average orientation of the ensemble. The results demonstrate that spatial cueing can influence orientation ensemble processing, and this attentional effect is sensitive to small changes in display time. Overall, these findings highlight the relationship between attention and ensemble perception, and how these two processes interact to shape our rich visual experience of the world. OPEN PRACTICES STATEMENT: The materials are available publicly on Open Science Framework (OSF) ( https://osf.io/3rsye ). This includes the files and code for the PsychoPy experiment, the raw trial-level data, and the analysis code and files. No aspects of the study were preregistered. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: In our visually complex world, our brains face the constant challenge of processing vast amounts of information quickly and efficiently. This study explores how two key cognitive processes-our ability to summarize visual information (ensemble perception) and our capacity to focus on specific details (selective attention)-work together. By understanding how these processes interact, we gain valuable insights into how our visual system manages the immense amount of visual information we experience on a moment-to-moment basis, and ultimately how we use this information to guide our everyday behaviours.