Effects of Spatial Attention on Localization of Moving Sounds

Motion illusions: Representational Momentum and Lag: • Representational momentum (RM): a forward displacement (the sound traveled farther than it actually did) • Representational lag (RL): a backward displacement (the sound did not travel as far as it actually did)

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RM and RL: Stimulus Duration: • Our prior experiments found RM with 2 secs durations, but RL with 1 sec durations.

Attention Capture: • Greater RM for 2 sec vs 1 sec durations may be due to attention capture, which may delay/interfere with forward displacement (extrapolation). The time when attention capture is happening takes up a greater proportion of the stimulus duration (and trial time) in the 1 sec vs 2 sec stimulus.

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Hypothesis: • Orienting attention to the sound’s onset location will increase RM and decrease RL.

Attention: • Focused Attention: Endogenous attention: Top-down and goal-driven, can be activated with explicit instructions. Expectation: Implicitly learned patterns • Divided Attention: Exogenous attention: Bottom-up and sensory-driven, stimulus features capture attention

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