Bi-directional relationship between attention and long-term context memory Efsun Annaç Dissertation der Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München München th 30 of October 2017 Disputation date: 18th of April 2018 Thesis Advisory Committee: Prof. Dr. Thomas Geyer (1st Supervisor) Prof. Dr. Hermann J. Müller (2nd Supervisor) Prof. Dr. Stefan Pollmann (External Supervisor) Exanimation Committee: Prof. Dr. Thomas Geyer (Supervisor and 1st reviewer) Dr. Virginia L. Flanagin (2nd reviewer) Prof. Dr. Melissa Le-Hoa Võ (3rd reviewer) Prof. Dr. Hermann J. Müller PD Dr. Markus Conci Prof. Dr. Paul C. J. Taylor ~ 2 ~ Table of contents Table of contents ......................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................... 7 Summary ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1. Chapter 1: General Introduction ............................................................................................ 11 1.1 Visual attention .................................................................................................................... 13 1.2 Context-based guidance of visual search: contextual cueing paradigm .............................. 16 1.3 The influence of spatial factors on the adaptation of contextual cueing ............................. 20 1.4 Secondary task effects in contextual cueing of visual search .............................................. 24 1.4.1 Selective and divided attention in contextual cueing of visual search:How do we process repeated displays when attentional resources are distributed? Bottom-up grouping or density factors in contextual adaptation ............................................................................... 24 1.4.2 The interference of spatial working memory (sWM) load on contextual cueing .............. 26 1.5 Automatic and controlled processing in contextual cueing: Extended training under a demanding secondary task ......................................................................................................... 29 1.6 Explicit recognition of contextual cueing measured by eye movements ............................ 32 1.6.1 The debate on implicit and explicit context memory ........................................................ 32 1.6.2 The role of eye movements in context memory ................................................................. 35 1.7 Thesis overview ................................................................................................................... 37 2. Chapter 2: Local target context modulates adaptation of learned contextual cues ............... 39 2.1 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 40 2.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 41 2.2.1 Lack-of-adaptation of contextual cueing .......................................................................... 41 2.2.2 Rationale of the present study .......................................................................................... 44 2.3 Experiment 1 (baseline) ....................................................................................................... 47 2.3.1 Method .............................................................................................................................. 47 2.3.2 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 50 2.4 Experiment 2 (density at test, adaptation) ........................................................................... 54 2.4.1 Method .............................................................................................................................. 55 2.4.2 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 56 2.5 Experiment 3 (density at learning) ...................................................................................... 58 2.5.1 Method .............................................................................................................................. 58 ~ 3 ~ 2.5.2 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 59 2.6 Experiment 4 (density at test, new learning) ....................................................................... 60 2.6.1 Method .............................................................................................................................. 60 2.6.2 Results and Discussion ..................................................................................................... 61 2.7 General discussion ............................................................................................................... 62 2.7.1 Lack of adaptation of contextual cueing revisited ............................................................ 63 2.7.2 Adaptation, recognition, and crowding ............................................................................ 65 2.7.3 Grouping and contextual cueing ...................................................................................... 67 2.8 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 69 2.9 References ........................................................................................................................... 70 2.10 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 73 2.11 Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 74 3. Chapter 3: Memory under pressure: secondary-task effects on contextual cueing of visual search ......................................................................................................................................... 77 3.1 Abstract ................................................................................................................................ 78 3.2 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 79 3.2.1 Selective and divided attention in contextual cueing ........................................................ 80 3.2.2 Spatial, not featural, WM affects the retrieval of contextual cueing ................................ 82 3.2.3 The present study: interference from spatial and executive WM ..................................... 84 3.3 General method .................................................................................................................... 87 3.4 Results ................................................................................................................................. 96 3.5 General discussion ............................................................................................................. 104 3.6 References ......................................................................................................................... 109 3.7 Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................... 112 3.8 Footnotes ........................................................................................................................... 113 4. Chapter 4: A secondary task is not always costly: contextual cueing of visual search can benefit from a demanding working memory load task ............................................................ 115 4.1 Abstract .............................................................................................................................. 116 4.2 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 117 4.2.1 The role of divided attention in contextual cueing of visual search ............................... 117 4.2.2 Contextual cueing as an instance of an automatic process ............................................ 119 4.2.3 Rationale of the present study ........................................................................................ 121 4.2.4 Overview of experiments ................................................................................................ 121 4.3 Experiment 1...................................................................................................................... 122 ~ 4 ~ 4.3.1 Method ............................................................................................................................ 123 4.3.2 Results and discussion .................................................................................................... 128 4.4 Experiment 2...................................................................................................................... 133 4.4.1 Method ............................................................................................................................ 133 4.4.2 Results and discussion ...................................................................................................