Attention; Automaticity; Inhibition of return; Numbers
Abstract :
[en] Prior research has provided strong evidence for spatial-numerical associations. Single digits can for instance act as attentional cues, orienting visuo-spatial attention to the left or right hemifield depending on the digit's magnitude, thus facilitating target detection in the cued hemifield (left/right hemifield after small/large digits, respectively). Studies using other types of behaviourally or biologically relevant central cues known to elicit automated symbolic attention orienting effects such as arrows or gaze have shown that the initial facilitation of cued target detection can turn into inhibition at longer stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs). However, no studies so far investigated whether inhibition of return (IOR) is also observed using digits as uninformative central cues. To address this issue we designed an attentional cueing paradigm using SOAs ranging from 500ms to 1650ms. As expected, the results showed a facilitation effect at the relatively short 650ms SOA, replicating previous findings. At the long 1650ms SOA, however, participants were faster to detect targets in the uncued hemifield compared to the cued hemifield, showing an IOR effect. A control experiment with letters showed no such congruency effects at any SOA. These findings provide the first evidence that digits not only produce facilitation effects at shorter intervals, but also induce inhibitory effects at longer intervals, confirming that Arabic digits engage automated symbolic orienting of attention.
Disciplines :
Neurosciences & behavior
Author, co-author :
Hoffmann, Danielle ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Luxembourg Centre for Educational Testing (LUCET)
Goffaux, Valerie
Schuller, Anne-Marie ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Education, Culture, Cognition and Society (ECCS)
Schiltz, Christine ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Language and Literature, Humanities, Arts and Education (FLSHASE) > Education, Culture, Cognition and Society (ECCS)
External co-authors :
yes
Language :
English
Title :
Inhibition of return and attentional facilitation: Numbers can be counted in, letters tell a different story.
Publication date :
2015
Journal title :
Acta Psychologica
ISSN :
0001-6918
Publisher :
Elsevier, Netherlands
Volume :
163
Pages :
74-80
Peer reviewed :
Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi
Commentary :
Copyright (c) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.