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How visual spatial attention alters perception

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Abstract

Visual attention is essential for visual perception. Spatial attention allows us to grant priority in processing and selectively process information at a given location. In this paper, I explain how two kinds of spatial attention: covert (allocated to the target location, without accompanying eye movements) and presaccadic (allocated to the location of the upcoming saccade’s target) affect performance and alter appearance. First, I highlight some behavioral and neuroimaging research on covert attention, which alters performance and appearance in many basic visual tasks. Second, I review studies showing that presaccadic attention improves performance and alters appearance at the saccade target location. Further, these modulations change the processing of feature information automatically, even when it is detrimental to the task at hand. We propose that saccade preparation may support transsaccadic integration. Systematically investigating the common and differential characteristics of covert attention and presaccadic attention will continue to further our understanding of the pervasive selective processing of information, which enables us to make sense of our complex visual world.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

(Adapted from Pestilli and Carrasco 2005, Fig. 2)

Fig. 4

(Reprinted from Herrmann et al. 2010, Fig. 3)

Fig. 5

(Reprinted from Poletti et al. 2017, Fig. 3)

Fig. 6

(Reprinted from Carrasco et al. 2004a, b, Fig. 1)

Fig. 7

(Adapted from Carrasco et al. 2004a, b, Figs. 4 and 5)

Fig. 8

(Adapted from Rolfs and Carrasco 2012, Fig. 3)

Fig. 9

(Reprinted from Li et al., Fig. 4)

Fig. 10

(Reproduced with permission from Li et al. 2018)

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  1. Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, USA

    Marisa Carrasco

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Correspondence to Marisa Carrasco.

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Carrasco, M. How visual spatial attention alters perception. Cogn Process 19 (Suppl 1), 77–88 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10339-018-0883-4

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