Attenuation of spatial bias with target template variation

Hong, Injae; Kim, Min-Shik · 2024 · Crossref

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-57255-z

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Summary

This study investigates how the consistency of target templates influences the emergence and persistence of spatial bias during visual search, specifically within the context of location probability learning. While prior research established that individuals learn statistical regularities to prioritize attention toward frequent target locations, it remained unclear whether this bias persists when the target’s specific features are unpredictable. The authors hypothesized that varying target templates might interfere with the formation of persistent spatial bias, suggesting that regularity-based attention depends not only on location statistics but also on search-relevant contexts. To test this, the researchers conducted two experiments using a visual search task where participants identified a singleton shape (hexagon or octagon) among homogeneous distractors. Participants were divided into two groups: a target-consistent group, which searched for a fixed shape throughout the experiment, and a target-variant group, where the target shape unpredictably alternated between hexagons and octagons on each trial. In both experiments, targets appeared with higher probability in one specific quadrant ("rich") during a training phase, followed by a testing phase where target locations were randomized to assess the persistence of learned bias. Experiment 1 used a compact search array, while Experiment 2 employed a larger, more demanding display to increase the reliance on spatial bias. The results demonstrated that target template consistency significantly modulated spatial bias. In Experiment 1, the target-consistent group exhibited a strong and persistent spatial bias, maintaining faster reaction times in the previously rich quadrant even after the statistical regularity was removed. In contrast, the target-variant group showed attenuated bias during training and failed to maintain any significant spatial bias during the testing phase. Experiment 2 replicated these findings but revealed that spatial bias was not entirely eliminated in the variant condition; rather, it was significantly reduced compared to the consistent group. Both groups showed slower overall reaction times in the variant condition, indicating increased task difficulty, yet the reduction in bias could not be attributed solely to search difficulty, as one might expect a compensatory increase in bias under harder conditions. The authors conclude that regularity-based spatial bias is not entirely independent of target features but is flexible and sensitive to the dynamic nature of the search environment. While spatial learning occurs on a spatial map, the magnitude of the resulting attentional bias is attenuated when target templates are inconsistent. This suggests that the emergence of spatial bias depends on the number of attentional shifts to frequent locations as well as the stability of the target template. The findings imply that top-down attentional mechanisms interact with statistical learning, and that executive loads or strategic reallocations of attention in response to featural unpredictability can dampen the strength of location-based biases.

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• visual search