Semantic and Symbolic Cueing Effects on the Spatial Attenion Processes

Abstract

In a given visual search task, repetition or switch of the target features affect the task performance differently. In the current study, the position of the target is manipulated across trials (trial n  trial n+1) and the target could appear at previous target, distractor or empty /neutral position. Positioning the target at the same position as in the previous trial, compared to neutral position, facilitates the target detection process, known as facilitatory priming effect. Positioning the target at previous distractor location, compared to neutral position, impairs the target detection process, known as inhibitory priming effect. The aim of the present study is to investigate modulations in the facilitatory and inhibitory priming effects,which are related to spatial attention processes, in the presence of different cue types (symbolic, semantic, neutral cues). One of the symbolic, semantic or neutral cues was presented prior to the display onset. The spatial cue could either indicate the location of the target or the distractor item. The cue pointing the target’s location generated the valid cue condition and the cue pointing one of the distractors’ location generated the invalid cue condition. Task performance was assessed by the reaction time dependent variable for the different cue types and cue validty conditions. The results revealed that cue validity and cue type factors affected the facilitatory and inhibitory priming effects differently. As the current study is the first one to investigate these factors, the findings have the potential to deepen the knowledge on spatial attention processes.