Abstract
Under incidental learning conditions, a spatial layout can be acquired implicitly and facilitate visual searches (the contextual cuing effect). Whereas previous studies have shown a cuing effect in the visual domain, the present study examined whether a contextual cuing effect could develop from association between auditory events and visual target locations (Experiments 1 and 2). In the training phase, participants searched for a T among Ls, preceded by 2 sec of auditory stimulus. The target location could be predicted from the preceding auditory stimulus. In the test phase, the auditory-visual association pairings were disrupted. The results revealed that a contextual cuing effect occurs by auditory-visual association. Participants did not notice the auditory-visual association. Experiment 3 explored a boundary condition for the auditory-visual contextual cuing effect. These results suggest that visual attention can be guided implicitly by crossmodal association, and they extend the idea that the visual system is sensitive to all kinds of statistical consistency.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Brainard, D. H. (1997). The Psychophysics Toolbox.Spatial Vision,10, 433–436.
Brockmole, J. R., &Henderson, J. M. (2006). Using real-world scenes as contextual cues for search.Visual Cognition,13, 99–108.
Buchtel, H. A., &Butter, C. M. (1988). Spatial attentional shifts: Implications for the role of polysensory mechanisms.Neuropsychologia,26, 499–509.
Chua, K.-P., &Chun, M. M. (2003). Implicit scene learning is viewpoint dependent.Perception & Psychophysics,65, 72–80.
Chun, M. M. (2000). Contextual cueing of visual attention. Trends inCognitive Sciences,4, 170–178.
Chun, M. M., &Jiang, Y. (1998). Contextual cueing: Implicit learning and memory of visual context guides spatial attention.Cognitive Psychology,36, 28–71.
Chun, M. M., &Jiang, Y. (1999). Top-down attentional guidance based on implicit learning of visual covariation.Psychological Science,10, 360–365.
Chun, M. M., &Jiang, Y. (2003). Implicit, long-term spatial contextual memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition,29, 224–234.
Chun, M. M., &Phelps, E. A. (1999). Memory deficits for implicit contextual information in amnesic subjects with hippocampal damage.Nature Neuroscience,2, 844–847.
Egeth, H. E., &Yantis, S. (1997). Visual attention: Control, representation, and time course.Annual Review of Psychology,48, 269–297.
Endo, N., &Takeda, Y. (2004). Selective learning of spatial configuration and object identity in visual search.Perception & Psychophysics,66, 293–302.
Eysenck, M. W. (1979). Depth, distinctiveness, and elaboration. In L. Cermak & F. I. M. Craik (Eds.),Levels of processing: An approach to memory. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Fiser, J., &Aslin, R. N. (2001). Unsupervised statistical learning of higher-order spatial structures from visual scenes.Psychological Science,12, 499–504.
Folk, C. L., Remington, R. W., &Johnston, J. C. (1992). Involuntary covert orienting is contingent on attentional control settings.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,18, 1030–1044.
Howard, J. H., Howard, D. V., Dennis, N. A., Yankovich, H., &Vaidya, C. J. (2004). Implicit spatial contextual learning in healthy aging.Neuropsychology,18, 124–134.
Jiang, Y., &Chun, M. M. (2001). Asymmetric object substitution masking.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,27, 895–918.
Jiang, Y., Song, J.-H., &Rigas, A. (2005). High-capacity spatial contextual memory.Psychonomic Bulletin & Review,12, 524–529.
Kawahara, J. (2003). Contextual cueing in 3-D layouts defined by binocular disparity.Visual Cognition,10, 837–852.
Kim, M. S., &Cave, K. R. (1999). Top-down and bottom-up attentional control: On the nature of the interference from a salient distractor.Perception & Psychophysics,61, 1009–1023.
Kunar, M. A., Flusberg, S., Horowitz, T. S., & Wolfe, J. M. (in press). Does contextual cueing guide the deployment of attention?Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance.
Mackeben, M., &Nakayama, K. (1993). Express attentional shifts.Vision Research,33, 85–90.
McDonald, J. J., Teder-Sälejärvi, W. A., &Hillyard, S. (2000). Involuntary orienting to sound improves visual perception.Nature,407, 906–908.
Nabeta, T., Ono, F., &Kawahara, J. (2003). Transfer of spatial context from visual to haptic search.Perception,32, 1352–1358.
Ogawa, H., Takeda, Y., &Kumada, T. (2007). Probing attentional modulation of contextual cueing.Visual Cognition,15, 276–289.
Olson, I. R., &Chun, M. M. (2001). Temporal contextual cueing of visual attention.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, & Cognition,27, 1299–1313.
Ono, F., Jiang, Y., &Kawahara, J. (2005). Inter-trial contextual cueing: Association across successive visual search trials guides spatial attention.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception & Performance,31, 703–712.
Pelli, D. G. (1997). The VideoToolbox software for visual psychophysics: Transforming numbers into movies.Spatial Vision,10, 437–442.
Saffran, J. R., Newport, E. L., Aslin, R. N., Tunick, R. A., &Barrueco, S. (1997). Incidental language learning: Listening (and learning) out of the corner of your ear.Psychological Science,8, 101–105.
Schacter, D. L., &Buckner, R. L. (1998). On the relations among priming, conscious recollection, and intentional retrieval: Evidence from neuroimaging research.Neurobiology of Learning & Memory,70, 284–303.
Spence, C., &Driver, J. (1997). Audiovisual links in exogenous covert spatial orienting.Perception & Psychophysics,59, 1–22.
Ward, L. M., McDonald, J. J., &Golestani, N. (1998). Cross-modal control of attention shifts. In R. D. Wright (Ed.),Visual attention (pp. 232–268). New York: Oxford University Press.
Wolfe, J. M. (1997). Visual search. In H. Pashler (Ed.),Attention (pp. 13–73). Hove, U.K.: Psychology Press.
Wolters, G., &Verduin, C. J. (1982). Retention performance as a function of the distinctiveness of memory traces and retention task.Psychological Research,44, 257–267.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kawahara, JI. Auditory-visual contextual cuing effect. Perception & Psychophysics 69, 1399–1408 (2007). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03192955
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03192955