Using evidence accumulation modeling to quantify the relative contributions of spatial attention and saccade preparation in perceptual tasks

Samantha Parker*, Andrew Heathcote, Matthew Finkbeiner

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    5 Citations (Scopus)
    5 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    A typical way to investigate the relationship between spatial attention and the programming of an eye movement is with a dual-task. Here, participants simultaneously make an eye movement in 1 direction and discriminate a target at the same or a different location. Results of these tasks consistently find that performance is best at the goal of an upcoming eye movement. It is less clear, however, the extent to which spatial attention can shift independently of the programmed saccade. In this article, for the first time, we use an evidence accumulation model to examine this longstanding question. Specifically, across 2 studies, we quantify the relative contributions of spatial attention and saccade preparation in a perceptual dual-task. Our results establish that there is a unique and measurable effect of spatial attention away from the saccade goal, and, interestingly, that the relative magnitude of this effect varies by cue type. There is a larger influence of spatial attention when a peripheral rather than a central cue is employed. We suggest that these results support the claim that each form of orienting is mediated by a distinct underlying mechanism. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)416-433
    Number of pages18
    JournalJournal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance
    Volume46
    Issue number4
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Apr 2020

    Keywords

    • visual attention
    • saccade
    • evidence accumulation model
    • saccadic programming
    • spatial cueing

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