THE INFLUENCE OF ATTENTION AND RESPONSE FACTORS UPON THE SPATIAL PRECUE EFFECTS

Two experiments were conducted which examined the influence of attention allocation and response factors upon the precue effect (i.e., RT difference between valid and invalid precue trials) for both peripheral and foveally delivered stimuli. Reaction stimuli (light emitting diode) differed only with respect to presentation location which was precued by the precue signal with 75% accuracy. Both a 1-Response and a 2-Response task were used. In the former case, only attention allocation was free to contribute to the precue effect while both attention allocation and response factors were potentially operational in the 2-Response condition. The results obtained revealed that both attention allocation and response factors made significant contributions to the spatial precue effect when the reaction stimuli were delivered parafoveally; however, only response factors contributed to this effect when the imperative stimuli were presented within the foveal area. It appears that either subjects do not allocate attention to precued locations when the reaction stimuli require only ''luminance detection'' and when they are presented foveally or that if they do so, RT is not altered by the presence or absence of attention.