Possible recoding of visual space in covert orienting tasks.

Abstract

Reaction time to lateralized light targets is longer if targets are preceded by light stimuli in the same visual hemifield compared to when they are preceded by light stimuli in the opposite visual hemifield. The effect is probably caused by interactions between implicit oculomotor tendencies and covert shifts of attention. We show here that a similar, but much smaller, ipsilateral RT inhibition can be observed when all stimuli are presented in a display completely lateralized to one hemifield, where ipsilateral and contralateral are defined with respect to the midpoint of the display. The persistence of ipsilateral inhibition with unilateral stimulus displays can be accounted for by a recoding of visual space predicated on the centering of covert attention on the display midpoint rather than on the fixation point. The recoding seems to affect the control of covert attention and perhaps oculomotor control as well.