The Effects of Target Location Probability and Repetition on Allocation of Attention

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the roles of probability and repetition on the mechanism that target location probability modulates allocation of attention. When target items in the visual search task were presented in a given location with high probability, the response times for the targets in the high-probability location improved relative to those in the low-probability locations (Geng & Behrmann, 2002). Two possible mechanisms have been proposed to explain the effects of location bias on attention: statistical learning and repetition priming (e.g., Druker & Anderson, 2010; Walthew & Gilchrist, 2006). In our search tasks we manipulated not only the spatial probability distributions but also the repetitions of target appearance in each location. When we manipulated the targets appeared in a given location over two consecutive trials, the target location probability worked as an attentional cue, and the probability and repetition had different influences on the response times. On the other hand, when we manipulated the targets did not repeatedly appear in a given location, the effect of probabilistic cuing was not observed. The results suggest spatial repetition priming is a necessary requirement for probabilistic cuing of target location.