PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
Our ability to learn the regularities embedded in our environment is a fundamental aspect of our cognitive system. Does such statistical learning depend on attention? Research on this topic is scarce and has yielded mixed findings. In this preregistered study, we examined the role of spatial attention in statistical learning, and specifically in learned distractor-location suppression. This phenomenon refers to the finding that during visual search, participants are better at ignoring a salient distractor at a high-probability location than at low-probability locations - a bias persisting long after the probability imbalance has ceased. Participants searched for a shape-singleton target and a color-singleton distractor was sometimes present. During the learning phase, the color-singleton distractor was more likely to appear in the high-probability location than in the low-probability locations. Crucially, we manipulated spatial attention by having the experimental group focus their attention on the target\'s location in advance of the search display, using a 100%-informative spatial precue, while the control group was presented with a neutral, uninformative cue. During the subsequent test phase, the color-singleton distractor was equally likely to appear at any location and there were no cues. As expected, the results for the neutral-cue group replicated previous findings. Crucially, for the informative-cue group, interference from the distractor was minimal when attention was diverted from it (during learning) and no statistical learning was observed during test. Intertrial priming accounted for the small statistical-learning effect found during learning. These findings show that statistical learning in visual search requires attention.
摘要：
我们学习环境中嵌入的规律性的能力是我们认知系统的一个基本方面。这种统计学习依赖于注意力吗？关于这个主题的研究很少，并且产生了不同的发现。在这项预先注册的研究中，我们研究了空间注意力在统计学习中的作用，特别是在学过的干扰物位置抑制中。这种现象是指在视觉搜索过程中，与低概率位置相比,参与者在高概率位置忽略显著干扰因素方面表现得更好,即在概率失衡停止后很长时间内,这种偏差会持续存在.参与者搜索形状单例目标，有时会出现颜色单例干扰物。在学习阶段,与低概率位置相比，彩色单例干扰物更可能出现在高概率位置。至关重要的是，我们通过让实验组在搜索显示之前将注意力集中在目标位置来操纵空间注意力，使用100%信息的空间前序，而对照组是中性的，无信息的提示。在随后的测试阶段，彩色单例干扰物同样可能出现在任何位置，并且没有提示。不出所料,中性线索组的结果重复了之前的发现.至关重要的是，对于信息提示组，当注意力从它转移时(在学习期间),来自干扰物的干扰是最小的,并且在测试期间没有观察到统计学习。审判间启动占了学习过程中发现的小统计学习效果。这些发现表明，视觉搜索中的统计学习需要注意。
