Statistical Learning Affects the Time Courses of Salience- Driven and Goal-Driven Selection

What is it about?

Our visual system is sensitive to statistical regularities in the environment. When exposed to these regularities, humans are able to learn and use them to optimize attentional selection. In this study, we presented salient distractors more often in one location than in all other locations. By examining speeded eye movements, we show that this statistical regularity regarding the distractor location affected visual selection very early in time modulating the time courses associated with both salience-driven and goal-driven selection.

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Why is it important?

We found that the statistical regularity regarding the distractor location affected visual selection very early, modulating the time courses associated with both salience-driven and goal-driven selection. These results suggest that statistical learning induces a continuous bias in visual selection, operating above and beyond salience-driven and goal-driven control.