FACILITATORY OR INHIBITORY NONTARGET EFFECTS IN THE LOCATION-CUEING PARADIGM

The effect of nontargets on the identification of targets in the locat ion-cuing paradigm was investigated in order to determine whether obse rvers consistently allocate their attention to a validly cued location and whether the effect of nontargets is to facilitate or to inhibit p erformance. In four experiments, the effects of a single matching nont arget or a single nonmatching nontarget were compared. Ln each experim ent, it was shown that observers consistently allocate their attention to a cued location when a precue appears and that performance is inhi bited more by nonmatching nontargets in the display than it is facilit ated by matching nontargets. (C) 1997 Academic Press.