Differential effects of central and peripheral cues on the reorienting of spatial attention

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Abstract
Observen can be induced to direct attention to a peripheral location by the use of central and peripheral cues. On the basis of a previous experiment in which central cues were used to orient attention, we proposed a premotor hypothesis of attention (Rizzolatti et al., 1987). which postulates a strict Link between covert orienting of attention and the programming of ocular movements. In the present paper, we tried to extend the soope of the premotor hypothesis by using both central and peripheral cues. The stimulus display consisted of a small fixation cross and four boxes for stimulus presentation. The boxes were arranged horizontally above the lixation point. The subjects were asked to attend to one box or all boxes and to respond manually as fast as possible to the occurrence of a visual stimulus, regardless of its location. When only one box was cued, the imperative stimulus appeared in it 70% of the time, whereas it appeared in one of the non-cued boxes in the remaining cases (10% for each box). The results showed that with both central cues (digits) and peripheral cues (flashes oi arrows), there was a benefit when the cue oriented attention correctly and there was a cost when the cue oriented attention incorrectly. With central cues, another two effects were observed: (1) when the distance between the cued and stimulated location was kept constant, reaction time (RT) was slower if these locations lay on opposite kmifields (meridian effect); (2) RT within the same (uncued) hemifield increased with the distance between the cued and the stimulated location (distance effect). With peripheral cues, the meridian effect was absent, the distance effect was rather elusive and the costs were generally smaller than with central cues. It is proposed that inhibitory phenomena triggered by the peripheral cue (early inhibition, inhibition of return) account for the different results observed with peripheral and central cues. In general, these new data are congruent with the premotor hypothesis of spatial attention.

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