An image-computable model of how endogenous and exogenous attention differentially alter visual perception

Significance Visual attention alters perception. Endogenous (voluntary) and exogenous (involuntary) spatial attention shape perception by prioritizing some visual information and ignoring others. Each attention type induces different perceptual consequences. Endogenous attention flexibly optimizes the visibility of fine-grain or coarse-scale visual features, whereas exogenous attention inflexibly enhances fine details, even when detrimental to perception. The computations that govern these differences are unknown. We developed a computational model that predicts human behavior and these distinct attentional effects directly from visual displays used in previous experiments. At the model’s core, each attention type adjusts sensory processing with different selectivity across visual detail. The model explains several phenomena, including uniform improvements induced by endogenous attention and visual improvements and impairments induced by exogenous attention.