Abstract
In the present study event-related potentials (ERPs) and event-related lateralizations (ERLs) were analyzed to investigate mechanisms of attentional inhibition engaged when a target stimulus has to be located within a simultaneous target-distractor display. The putative after-effects of inhibition were examined with a prime-probe technique by comparing a “DT” condition (the prime Distractor location becomes the probe Target location) with a control condition (the probe target appears at a previously empty position). The specific aim was to dissociate more “automatic” aspects from more “controlled” aspects associated with the inhibition of distractor locations. To do so, we compared physically identical prime-probe pairs in a sustained-attention context (same target throughout a block) and a transient-attention context (trial-by-trial target specification). Three early ERP/ERL components showed differential effects for DT compared to control: (1) the posterior N1 with a diminished amplitude contralateral to the visual half-field side of target presentation, (2) the N2pc with an enhanced amplitude contralateral to the visual half-field side of target presentation, and (3) the posteriorly distributed N2 with a nonlateralized enhancement for DT compared to control. These effects were differently affected by the context manipulation. While the N2pc effect was observed exclusively under sustained attention, the N1 lateralization effect and the N2 effect were not differentially modulated. The N1 lateralization effect seems consistent with an inhibition-of-return explanation. The N2pc and N2 effects are supposed to be reflecting different aspects of a biased-competition model of distractor inhibition.
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