Enhanced spatial focusing increases feature-based selection in unattended locations

Abstract

Attention is a multifaceted phenomenon, which operates on features (e.g., colour or motion) and over space. A fundamental question is whether the attentional selection of features is confined to the spatially-attended location or operates independently across the entire visual field (global feature-based attention, GFBA). Studies providing evidence for GFBA often employ feature probes presented at spatially unattended locations, which elicit enhanced brain responses when they match a currently-attended target feature. However, the validity of this interpretation relies on consistent spatial focusing onto the target. If the probe were to temporarily attract spatial attention, the reported effects could reflect transient spatial selection processes, rather than GFBA. Here, using magnetoencephalographic recordings (MEG) in humans, we manipulate the strength and consistency of spatial focusing to the target by increasing the target discrimination difficulty (Experiment 1), and by demarcating the upcoming target’s location with a placeholder (Experiment 2), to see if GFBA effects are preserved. We observe that motivating stronger spatial focusing to the target did not diminish the effects of GFBA. Instead, aiding spatial pre-focusing with a placeholder enhanced the feature response at unattended locations. Our findings confirm that feature selection effects measured with spatially-unattended probes reflect a true location-independent neural bias.