Statistical Learning Affects the Time Courses of Salience-Driven and Goal-Driven Selection

The present study investigated how statistical regularities present in the display affected the time courses associated with salience-driven and goal-driven visual selection. In two experiments, participants were instructed to make a speeded saccade toward a prespecified target that was presented simultaneously with a distractor among multiple homogeneously oriented background lines. The distractor was presented more often at one location than at all other locations. We found that the statistical regularity regarding the distractor location affected visual selection very early, modulating the time courses associated with both salience-driven and goal-driven selection. These results suggest that statistical learning induces a continuous bias in visual selection, operating above and beyond salience-driven and goal-driven control.

Automated summary

The study found that the statistical regularity of the distractor location affects visual selection early on, modulating the time courses associated with both salience-driven and goal-driven selection. These results suggest that statistical learning induces a continuous bias in visual selection beyond salience-driven and goal-driven control.