Abstract
Attention is tuned towards locations that frequently contain a visual search target (location probability learning; LPL). Peripheral vision, covering a larger field than the fovea, often receives information about the target. Yet what is the role of peripheral vision in attentional learning? Using gaze-contingent eye tracking, we examined the impact of simulated peripheral vision loss on location probability learning. Participants searched for a target T among distractor Ls. Unbeknownst to them, the T appeared disproportionately often in one quadrant. Participants searched with either intact vision or “tunnel vision,” restricting the visible search items to the central 6.7º (in diameter) of the current gaze. When trained with tunnel vision, participants in Experiment 1 acquired LPL, but only if they became explicitly aware of the target’s location probability. The unaware participants were not faster finding the target in high-probability than in low-probability locations. When trained with intact vision, participants in Experiment 2 successfully acquired LPL, regardless of whether they were aware of the target’s location probability. Thus, whereas explicit learning may proceed with central vision alone, implicit LPL is strengthened by peripheral vision. Consistent with Guided Search (Wolfe, 2021), peripheral vision supports a nonselective pathway to guide visual search.
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Data and code availability
These experiments were not pre-registered. De-identified data in an aggregated format, MATLAB scripts, and videos verifying script accuracy are available at the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/zc4vu/).
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Acknowledgements
This study was supported by a McKnight award to VGL. We thank Roger Remington, Yi Ni Toh, Emma Holtz, and Gavin Oliver for comments and suggestions, and Sanjali Roy and Mikayla Albertson for assistance with data collection.
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Significance statement
What role does peripheral vision play in guiding spatial attention? Here, we showed that location probability learning (LPL) – the acquisition of an attentional preference for locations that frequently contained a visual search target – relied partially on peripheral vision. When searching with intact vision, participants acquired LPL regardless of whether they became aware of the target’s biased locations. In contrast, when searching with a simulated peripheral vision loss, only participants with explicit awareness about the target’s location probability acquired LPL. The findings have implications for understanding attentional learning in patients with peripheral vision loss.
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Chen, C., Lee, V.G. Contribution of peripheral vision to attentional learning. Atten Percept Psychophys 86, 95–108 (2024). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02808-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13414-023-02808-z