THE INFLUENCE OF ATTENTION AND RESPONSE FACTORS UPON THE SPATIAL PRECUE EFFECTS

Two experiments were conducted which examined the influence of attenti on allocation and response factors upon the precue effect (i.e., RT di fference between valid and invalid precue trials) for both peripheral and foveally delivered stimuli. Reaction stimuli (light emitting diode ) differed only with respect to presentation location which was precue d by the precue signal with 75% accuracy. Both a 1-Response and a 2-Re sponse task were used. In the former case, only attention allocation w as free to contribute to the precue effect while both attention alloca tion and response factors were potentially operational in the 2-Respon se condition. The results obtained revealed that both attention alloca tion and response factors made significant contributions to the spatia l precue effect when the reaction stimuli were delivered parafoveally; however, only response factors contributed to this effect when the im perative stimuli were presented within the foveal area. It appears tha t either subjects do not allocate attention to precued locations when the reaction stimuli require only ''luminance detection'' and when the y are presented foveally or that if they do so, RT is not altered by t he presence or absence of attention.