Automatic Versus Directed Attention with Single-element and Multiple-element Precues

Four experiments were conducted to determine whether peripheral single-element precues (SEPs) and multiple-element precues (MEPs) would elicit similar attention effects on target identification. For an MEP, characters were presented near each possible target location; however, one that differed from the others by either colour or luminance specified the target location. At short precue-target intervals (SOAs), target identification accuracy rose more quickly with SEPs than with MEPs; at long SOAs, performance declined with SEPs, but not with MEPs. Furthermore, when validity of the precue was manipulated, an SEP attracted attention automatically even if the precue was irrelevant as to target location, whereas an irrelevant precue did not benefit performance with MEPs. Accuracy at long SOAs with MEPs was more similar to that produced by a precue at fixation than to that produced by an SEP. Thus. MEPs do not elicit attention in the same manner as SEPs.