Irrelevant salient objects may capture our attention and interfere with visual search. Recently, it was shown that distraction by a salient object is reduced when it is presented more frequently at one location than at other locations. The present study investigates whether this reduced distractor interference is the result of proactive spatial suppression, implemented prior to display onset, or reactive suppression, occurring after attention has been directed to that location. Participants were asked to search for a shape singleton in the presence of an irrelevant salient color singleton which was presented more often at one location (the high-probability location) than at all other locations (the low-probability locations). On some trials, instead of the search task, participants performed a probe task, in which they had to detect the offset of a probe dot. The results of the search task replicated previous findings showing reduced distractor interference in trials in which the salient distractor was presented at the high-probability location as compared with the low-probability locations. The probe task showed that reaction times were longer for probes presented at the high-probability location than at the low-probability locations. These results indicate that through statistical learning the location that is likely to contain a distractor is suppressed proactively (i.e., prior to display onset). It suggests that statistical learning modulates the first feed-forward sweep of information processing by deprioritizing locations that are likely to contain a distractor in the spatial priority map.

无关紧要的物体可能会吸引我们的注意力并干扰视觉搜索。最近，显示出当在一个位置比在其他位置更频繁地出现时，显着物体的干扰减少了。本研究调查这种减少的干扰物干扰是在显示开始之前实施主动空间抑制的结果，还是在注意力转移到该位置后发生的反应性抑制的结果。要求参与者在不相关的显着颜色单例存在的情况下搜索形状单例，该颜色单例在一个位置（高概率位置）比在所有其他位置（低概率位置）出现的频率更高。在某些试验中，参与者执行搜索任务而不是搜索任务，他们必须检测探针点的偏移量。搜索任务的结果重复了以前的发现，表明在试验中分散注意力的干扰减少了，在突出试验中，显着干扰物位于低概率位置。探测任务表明，在高概率位置出现的探针的反应时间比在低概率位置出现的探针的反应时间更长。这些结果表明，通过统计学习可以主动地（即在显示发作之前）抑制可能包含干扰物的位置。它表明，统计学习通过对可能在空间优先级图中包含干扰因素的位置进行优先级排序，从而对信息处理的第一前馈扫描进行调制。搜索任务的结果重复了以前的发现，表明在试验中分散注意力的干扰减少了，在突出试验中，显着干扰物位于低概率位置。探测任务表明，在高概率位置出现的探针的反应时间比在低概率位置出现的探针的反应时间更长。这些结果表明，通过统计学习可以主动地（即在显示发作之前）抑制可能包含干扰物的位置。它表明，统计学习通过对可能在空间优先级图中包含干扰因素的位置进行优先级排序，从而对信息处理的第一前馈扫描进行调制。搜索任务的结果重复了以前的发现，表明在试验中分散注意力的干扰减少了，在突出试验中，显着干扰物位于低概率位置。探测任务表明，在高概率位置出现的探针的反应时间比在低概率位置出现的探针的反应时间更长。这些结果表明，通过统计学习，可以主动地（即，在显示发作之前）抑制可能包含干扰物的位置。它表明，统计学习通过对可能在空间优先级图中包含干扰因素的位置进行优先级排序，从而对信息处理的第一前馈扫描进行调制。