Mimi Juffe, Stephen Emrich¹; ¹Brock University

How is spatial attention affected by the allocation of visual working memory (VWM) resources? To address this question, we used the capture-probe paradigm intermixed with a two-alternative forced choice (2AFC) VWM task. We manipulated VWM resource allocation by changing the amount of priority given to a specific item in the 2AFC task. In Experiment 1, the capture-probe letters were presented at the locations of the memory stimuli after a delay of 700 ms. As in previous studies, VWM performance increased as the likelihood of an item being probed increased, consistent with flexible resource allocation. In the letter-probe trials, correct letter recall for the letter in the prioritized location increased in conditions with higher levels of prioritization. These results reveal that the distribution of spatial attention follows the allocation of VWM resources. In Experiment 2, we addressed the question: since spatial attention is affected by the allocation of VWM resources, when is this allocation of spatial attention happening? To test if spatial attention allocation happens during encoding or maintenance, we reduced the delay between the offset of the memory stimuli and onset of the letters to 100 ms. In the 2AFC task, VWM performance was not significantly different from performance in the first Experiment, indicating that participants were distributing VWM resources just as efficiently as in Experiment 1. In the letter-probe trials, correct letter recall in the prioritized location was lower for conditions with low and no priority when compared to Experiment 1. However, correct letter recall for the prioritized location in the highest priority condition was not different from the first Experiment. These results indicate that spatial attention allocation happens between 100 – 700 ms for items of low importance but occurs within 100 ms for items of high importance.