title: Unique sudden onsets capture attention even when observers are in feature-search mode.
abstract: Two sources of attentional capture have been proposed: stimulus-driven (exogenous) and goal-oriented (endogenous). A resolution between these modes of capture has not been straightforward. Even such a clearly exogenous event as the sudden onset of a stimulus can be said to capture attention endogenously if observers operate in singleton-detection mode rather than feature-search mode. In four experiments we show that a unique sudden onset captures attention even when observers are in feature-search mode. The displays were rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) streams of differently coloured letters with the target letter defined by a specific colour. Distractors were four #s, one of the target colour, surrounding one of the non-target letters. Capture was substantially reduced when the onset of the distractor array was not unique because it was preceded by other sets of four grey # arrays in the RSVP stream. This provides unambiguous evidence that attention can be captured both exogenously and endogenously within a single task.
authors: Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada. tspalek@sfu.ca
authors: Thomas M
authors: TM
authors: Spalek
authors: Matthew R
authors: MR
authors: Yanko
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Poiese
authors: Hayley E P
authors: HE
authors: Lagroix
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D003116:Color; D006801:Humans; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D055815:Young Adult