Orienting attention without awareness
Abstract
Previous research has shown that visual attention can be directed to a spatial location in 2 qualitatively different ways. Attention can be allocated endogenously in response to centrally presented precues, or it can be captured exogenously by a visual stimulus with an abrupt onset. It has been suggested that exogenous orienting of attention is an automatic process, whereas endogenous orienting of attention represents a controlled and strategic process. M.I. Posner and C.R.R. Snyder (1975) suggested that an automatic process occurs without intention, does not interfere with other mental processes, and does not necessarily give rise to awareness, whereas a controlled process will likely interfere with other processes and necessarily requires intention and awareness. Three experiments investigated the role of awareness in orienting visual attention. Endogenous and exogenous components of orienting attention were placed in opposition to each other to assess the automaticity of exogenous orienting by examining the potential for brief stimulus events to capture attention in the absence of subjective awareness. Results show that an exogenous cue presented below a subjective threshold of awareness captured attention automatically and without awareness.
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When people are unaware of a visual stimulus, they can still sometimes direct attention to it.
“When people are unaware of a visual stimulus, they can still sometimes focus processing resources on it. They can direct attention to it (McCormick, 1997; Lamme, 2003; Woodman and Luck, 2003; Ansorge and Heumann, 2006; Tsushima et al., 2006; Kentridge et al., 2008; Hsieh et al., 2011; Norman et al., 2013).”
From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as McCormick, 1997
Experimental results on attention and awareness have been interpreted as consistent with the prediction that control of attention suffers when awareness fails.
“Several experimental results on attention and awareness have been interpreted as consistent with this prediction (McCormick, 1997; Tsushima et al., 2006; Lin and Murray, 2015; Webb and Graziano, 2015; Webb et al., 2016a), though more experiments are needed.”
From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as McCormick, 1997
When people are unaware of a visual stimulus, visual attention suffers deficits in control: it behaves less stably over time and is less able to error-correct and less able to adapt to perturbations.
“However, in that case, visual attention suffers deficits in control. It behaves less stably over time and shows evidence of being less able to error-correct and less able to adapt to perturbations (McCormick, 1997; Lin and Murray, 2015; Webb and Graziano, 2015; Webb et al., 2016a).”
From The Attention Schema Theory: A Foundation for Engineering Artificial Consciousness (2017) · cites this paper as McCormick, 1997
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References 39 · Cited by 319
- Authors
- McCormick, P. A.
- Affiliations
- St. Francis Xavier University (CA)
- Corresponding author
- McCormick, Peter A.
- Venue
- Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance
- Published
- 1997
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 168-180
- ISSN
- 0096-1523 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1277
- OpenAlex
- W2088953643
- Cited by
- 319
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 20 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 24
- FWCI
- 2.26
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Experimental Psychology Human Perception & Performance (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Visual Attention and Saliency Detection
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Keywords
- visual attention, attentional orienting, bottom-up attention, top-down attention, awareness, automaticity, attentional capture, precuing
- MeSH terms
- Attention, Awareness, Cues, Humans, Models, Psychological, Orientation, Space Perception, Visual Perception
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