Attentional shifts between surfaces: effects on detection and early brain potentials

Two consecutive events transforming the same illusory surface in transparen t motion (brief changes in direction) can be discriminated with ease, but a prolonged interference (similar to 500 ms) on the discrimination of the se cond event arises when different surfaces are concerned [Valdes-Sosa, M., C obo, A., & Pinilla, T. (2000). Attention to object files defined by transpa rent motion. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Perfo rmance, 26(2), 488-505]. Here we further characterise this phenomenon and c ompare it to the attentional blink AB [Shapiro, K.L., Raymond, J.E., & Amel l, K.M. (1994). Attention to visual pattern information produces the attent ional blink in RSVP. Journal of Ekxperimental Psychology : Human Perception and Performance, 20, 357-371]. Similar to the AB, reduced sensitivity (d') was found in the two-surface condition. However, the two-surface cost was associated with a reduced N1 brain response in contrast to reports for AB [ Vogel, E.K., Luck, S.J., & Shapiro, K. (1998). Electrophysiological evidenc e for a postperceptual locus of suppression during the attentional blink. J ournal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 24(6), 1656-1674]. The results from this study indicate that the two-surface cost corresponds to competitive effects in early vision. Reasons for the discre pancy with the AB study are considered. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.