Visual search for a target is faster when the spatial layout of nontarget items is repeatedly encountered, illustrating that learned contextual invariances can improve attentional selection (contextual cueing). This type of contextual learning is usually relatively efficient, but relocating the target to an unexpected location (within otherwise unchanged layouts) typically abolishes contextual cueing. Here, we explored whether bottom-up attentional guidance can mediate the efficient contextual adaptation after the change. Two experiments presented an initial learning phase, followed by a subsequent relocation phase that introduced target location changes. This location change was accompanied by transient attention-guiding signals that either up-modulated the changed target location (Experiment 1), or which provided an inhibitory tag to down-modulate the initial target location (Experiment 2). The results from these two experiments showed reliable contextual cueing both before and after the target location change. By contrast, an additional control experiment (Experiment 3) that did not present any attention-guiding signals together with the changed target showed no reliable cueing in the relocation phase, thus replicating previous findings. This pattern of results suggests that attentional guidance (by transient stimulus-driven facilitatory and inhibitory signals) enhances the flexibility of long-term contextual learning.

当重复遇到非目标项目的空间布局时，目标的视觉搜索会更快，这说明学习到的上下文不变性可以改善注意力选择（上下文提示）。这种类型的上下文学习通常相对有效，但将目标重新定位到意外位置（在其他未更改的布局内）通常会取消上下文提示。在这里，我们探讨了自下而上的注意力引导是否可以调解变化后的有效上下文适应。两个实验呈现了一个初始学习阶段，随后是引入目标位置变化的后续重定位阶段。这种位置变化伴随着短暂的注意力引导信号，这些信号要么上调改变的目标位置（实验 1），要么 或者它提供了一个抑制标签来下调初始目标位置（实验 2）。这两个实验的结果显示了目标位置变化前后的可靠上下文提示。相比之下，一个额外的控制实验（实验 3）没有与改变的目标一起呈现任何注意力引导信号，在重新定位阶段没有显示出可靠的提示，因此复制了之前的发现。这种结果模式表明，注意力引导（通过瞬态刺激驱动的促进和抑制信号）增强了长期情境学习的灵活性。一个额外的控制实验（实验 3）没有与改变的目标一起呈现任何注意力引导信号，在重新定位阶段没有可靠的提示，因此复制了之前的发现。这种结果模式表明，注意力引导（通过瞬态刺激驱动的促进和抑制信号）增强了长期情境学习的灵活性。一个额外的控制实验（实验 3）没有与改变的目标一起呈现任何注意力引导信号，在重新定位阶段没有可靠的提示，因此复制了之前的发现。这种结果模式表明，注意力引导（通过瞬态刺激驱动的促进和抑制信号）增强了长期情境学习的灵活性。