MOVING ATTENTION THROUGH VISUAL SPACE

Several experiments have shown that attention as measured by simple reaction time to luminance increments can be shifted in the visual field while the eyes are kept in a fixed position. The shift of attention appears to take place within 500 msec following a cue indicating the most likely position of the target. The present 2 experiments with 9 Ss each report that these shifts of attention can be time locked to a central cue. Moreover, they show that a probe event located between the cue and the target receives maximal facilitation from attention at a time prior to maximal facilitation at the target. Results support an analog movement of attention across the visual field that does not involve the suppression found during saccades. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1979 American Psychological Association.