Spatial attention in early vision

The present study addressed whether the allocation of attention to a partic ular region in space can prevent processing of distracter information from non-attended regions. A cue indicated the area in visual space where the ta rget singleton would be presented. Observers were required to detect this t arget singleton and ignore a distracter singleton presented within a non-at tended region. The results indicate that the allocation of attention to a r egion in space cannot prevent the processing of unwanted information from e lsewhere in the visual field. It is concluded that the Function of the allo cation of attention is not to enhance the processing capacity within the at tended region but rather to attenuate interference from distracters in unat tended regions. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.