In probabilistic cuing of visual search, participants search for a target object that appears more frequently in one region of the display. This task results in a search bias toward the rich quadrant compared with other quadrants. Previous research has suggested that this bias is inflexible (difficult to unlearn) and implicit (participants are unaware of the biased distribution of targets). We tested these hypotheses in two preregistered, high-powered experiments (Ns = 160 and 161). In an initial biased stage, participants performed a standard probabilistic cuing task. In a subsequent unbiased stage, the target appeared in all quadrants with equal probability. Awareness questions were included after the biased stage in one group of participants, and after the unbiased stage in a second group. Results showed that participants were aware of the rich area, and this effect was larger for the group whose awareness was assessed after the biased stage. In addition, analyses of visual search times indicated that the search bias toward the rich area (formed during the biased stage) was reduced during the unbiased stage. These results cast doubts on the characterization of probabilistic cuing as an implicit and inflexible search habit. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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视觉搜索的概率提示：既不隐含也不不灵活。

在视觉搜索的概率提示中，参与者搜索在显示器的一个区域中出现频率更高的目标对象。与其他象限相比，此任务导致对丰富象限的搜索偏向。先前的研究表明，这种偏见是不灵活的（难以忘却）和隐含的（参与者不知道目标的偏见分布）。我们在两个预先注册的高功率实验（Ns = 160 和 161）中测试了这些假设。在最初的偏见阶段，参与者执行标准的概率提示任务。在随后的无偏阶段，目标以相等的概率出现在所有象限中。在一组参与者的偏见阶段之后，以及在第二组参与者的无偏见阶段之后，包括意识问题。结果表明，参与者意识到富人区，对于在偏见阶段之后评估意识的组，这种影响更大。此外，对视觉搜索时间的分析表明，在无偏阶段减少了对丰富区域（在有偏阶段形成）的搜索偏向。这些结果对将概率提示表征为一种隐含且不灵活的搜索习惯提出了质疑。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。这些结果对将概率提示表征为一种隐含且不灵活的搜索习惯提出了质疑。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。这些结果对将概率提示表征为一种隐含且不灵活的搜索习惯提出了质疑。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 (c) 2020 APA，保留所有权利）。