The temporal dynamics of selective attention are reflected by distractor intrusions

Zivony, Alon; Eimer, Martin · 2023 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-26902-8

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Summary

This study investigates the temporal dynamics of selective attention by examining whether distractor intrusions in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) tasks reflect the timing of attentional engagement. The authors aim to distinguish between two competing accounts of these errors: the "selection failure account," which posits that intrusions result from a guessing mechanism activated when target selection fails, and the "attentional episode account," which suggests that attentional enhancement persists over time, enhancing both targets and adjacent distractors. The latter implies that the speed of attentional engagement determines which items are reported, making intrusions a useful metric for studying temporal selectivity. To test these hypotheses, the researchers conducted two experiments manipulating the speed of attentional engagement by presenting targets in either a single RSVP stream (faster engagement) or unpredictably in one of two streams (delayed engagement). In Experiment 1, participants identified target digits indicated by shape cues amidst distractors. Results showed that delayed engagement (two streams) significantly increased post-target intrusions and reduced accuracy, while pre-target intrusions remained low and largely unaffected, likely due to floor effects. This pattern contradicted the selection failure account, which predicted a general increase in all intrusions when selection failed. Experiment 2 refined the design to better assess pre-target effects by placing the selection cue between two potential targets and varying their spatial locations to reduce backward masking. This manipulation increased the frequency of pre-cue digit reports, allowing for a clearer analysis. The results revealed a dissociation consistent with the attentional episode account: delayed engagement (two streams) decreased the reporting of pre-cue digits while increasing the reporting of post-cue digits. Conversely, faster engagement (single stream) favored the reporting of pre-cue items. These effects were most pronounced when pre- and post-cue digits appeared at different locations, minimizing masking interference. The findings provide strong evidence that distractor intrusions are closely linked to the temporal distribution of attentional enhancement rather than selection failures. The study supports the view that attentional selectivity operates within brief periods of perceptual enhancement, or "attentional episodes," which facilitate the processing of all objects within that window regardless of their target status. Consequently, the intrusion paradigm is validated as a powerful tool for investigating the temporal dynamics of attention, challenging the assumption that attention has high temporal precision and demonstrating that the speed of engagement critically shapes which stimuli are encoded and reported.

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Topics

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• attention selective divided
• inattentional change blindness
• temporal