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Cognitive processes facilitated by contextual cueing: Evidence from event‐related brain potentials
Author(s) -
Schankin Andrea,
Schubö Anna
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2009.00807.x
Subject(s) - n2pc , psychology , cognitive psychology , cognition , visual search , facilitation , context (archaeology) , selection (genetic algorithm) , event related potential , selective attention , visual attention , neuroscience , computer science , artificial intelligence , paleontology , biology
Finding a target in repeated search displays is faster than finding the same target in novel ones (contextual cueing). It is assumed that the visual context (the arrangement of the distracting objects) is used to guide attention efficiently to the target location. Alternatively, other factors, e.g., facilitation in early visual processing or in response selection, may play a role as well. In a contextual cueing experiment, participant's electrophysiological brain activity was recorded. Participants identified the target faster and more accurately in repeatedly presented displays. In this condition, the N2pc, a component reflecting the allocation of visual‐spatial attention, was enhanced, indicating that attention was allocated more efficiently to those targets. However, also response‐related processes, reflected by the LRP, were facilitated, indicating that guidance of attention cannot account for the entire contextual cueing benefit.