Recent studies have shown that prediction and attention can interact under various circumstances, suggesting that the two processes are based on interdependent neural mechanisms. In the visual modality, attention can be deployed to the location of a task-relevant stimulus ('spatial attention') or to a specific feature of the stimulus, such as colour or shape, irrespective of its location ('feature-based attention'). Here we asked whether predictive processes are influenced by feature-based attention outside the current spatial focus of attention. Across two experiments, we recorded neural activity with electroencephalography (EEG) as human observers performed a feature-based attention task at fixation and ignored a stream of peripheral stimuli with predictable or surprising features. Central targets were defined by a single feature (colour or orientation) and differed in salience across the two experiments. Task-irrelevant peripheral patterns usually comprised one particular conjunction of features (standards), but occasionally deviated in one or both features (deviants). Consistent with previous studies, we found reliable effects of feature-based attention and prediction on neural responses to task-irrelevant patterns in both experiments. Crucially, we observed an interaction between prediction and feature-based attention in both experiments: the neural effect of feature-based attention was larger for surprising patterns than it was for predicted patterns. These findings suggest that global effects of feature-based attention depend on surprise, and are consistent with the idea that attention optimises the precision of predictions by modulating the gain of prediction errors.

中文翻译：

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基于特征的注意力的全局效应取决于惊喜

最近的研究表明，预测和注意力可以在各种情况下相互作用，这表明这两个过程基于相互依赖的神经机制。在视觉模式中，注意力可以部署到任务相关刺激的位置（“空间注意力”）或刺激的特定特征，例如颜色或形状，而不管其位置（“基于特征的注意力”） ）。在这里，我们询问预测过程是否受到当前空间注意力焦点之外的基于特征的注意力的影响。在两个实验中，我们用脑电图 (EEG) 记录了神经活动，因为人类观察者在注视时执行基于特征的注意力任务，并忽略了具有可预测或令人惊讶的特征的外围刺激流。中心目标由单个特征（颜色或方向）定义，并且在两个实验中的显着性不同。与任务无关的外围模式通常包含一个特定的特征结合（标准），但偶尔会偏离一个或两个特征（偏差）。与之前的研究一致，我们在两个实验中都发现了基于特征的注意力和预测对任务无关模式的神经反应的可靠影响。至关重要的是，我们在两个实验中都观察到预测和基于特征的注意力之间的相互作用：对于令人惊讶的模式，基于特征的注意力的神经效应比预测模式更大。这些发现表明基于特征的注意力的全局效应取决于惊喜，