Visser, T., Zuvic, S., Bischof, W. F., and Di Lollo, V. (1999). The attentional blink with targets in different spatial locations. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6, 432-436.

When two targets are displayed in rapid succession, accuracy of T2 identification varies as a function of the temporal lag between the targets (attentional blink, AB). In some studies, performance was most impaired at Lab 1, namely, when T2 followed T1 directly. In other studies, T2 performance at Lag 1 was virtually unimpaired (lag-1 sparing). In the present work, we examined how lag-1 sparing is affected by attentional switches between targets displayed in the same or in different locations. We found that a spatial switch does not necessarily eliminate lag-1 sparing. Rather, lag-1 sparing is eliminated only if the spatial switch takes place while the system is busy processing a stimulus at another location. The results are explained by a modified version of an earlier attentional gating model (M. M. Chun & M. C. Potter, 1989; K. L. Shapiro & J. E. Raymond, 1994).

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