Feature integration and spatial attention: common processesfor endogenous and exogenous orienting

摘要

Briand (J Exp Psychol Hum Percept Perform24:1243-1256, 1998) and Briand and Klein (J Exp PsycholHum Percept Perform 13:228-241, 1987) demonstrated thatspatial cueing effects are larger for detecting conjunction offeatures than for detecting simple features when spatialattention is oriented exogenously, and not when attention isoriented endogenously. Their results were interpreted as ifonly exogenous attention affects the posterior spatialattention system that performs the feature binding functionattributed to spatial attention by Treisman's feature inte-gration theory (FIT; 1980). In a series of 6 experiments, weattempted to replicate Briand's findings. Manipulations ofdistractor string size and symmetry of stimulus presentationleft and right from fixation were implemented in Posner'scueing paradigm. The data indicate that both exogenous andendogenous cueing address the same attentional mechanismneeded for feature binding. The results also limit thegeneralisability of Briand's proposal concerning the role ofexogenous attention in feature integration. Furthermore, theimportance to control the effect of unintended attentionalcapture in a cueing task is demonstrated.