How does inhibition of return influence perception?

Removing attention from a peripherally cued location typically reveals slower responses to targets appearing at the recently stimulated location. This is the inhibition of return (IOR) effect, and it is believed to actively discourage resampling of the environment. While the effect of IOR on reaction times is ubiquitous in controlled experimental tasks, how IOR might impact perception or perceptual decision making can be surprisingly difficult to study. Here we review studies that have investigated the impact of IOR on accuracy in a variety of discrimination tasks. While the sum of all evidence implies that there is a weak effect of IOR on accuracy scores, the results of a meta-analysis suggest the heterogeneity and potential general direction of the effect (consistent decrement or a mixture of a decrement with an apparent improvement) depend on whether the reflexive oculomotor system is suppressed. We outline interpretational challenges as reduced accuracy from IOR need not result from perceptual impairments. Methodological factors must be carefully considered when investigating how IOR might impact perceptual decision making, and we make a few constructive suggestions for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).