In the remote distractor effect (RDE), saccadic latency is prolonged by the onset of a distractor stimulus that appears simultaneously with the target for the saccadic eye movement (Lévy-Schoen,
1969; Walker, Kentridge, & Findlay,
1995). Importantly, the effect only occurs for distractors appearing at more than 20 deg of angular distance from the target (therefore
remote distractor effect) and its magnitude decreases with increasing distractor eccentricity from the fovea (Walker, Deubel, Schneider, & Findlay,
1997). Models of saccade generation often consider the intermediate and deep layers of the superior colliculus (SC) as a neural correlate of the RDE (Findlay & Walker,
1999; Godijn & Theeuwes,
2002; Kopecz,
1995; Munoz & Fecteau,
2002; Trappenberg, Dorris, Munoz, & Klein,
2001). These models also stress that the SC can receive bottom-up as well as top-down information. Indeed, neurophysiological evidence suggests that many cortical and subcortical structures project onto the SC, including sensory, motor and cognitive areas (Moschovakis, Scudder, & Highstein,
1996; Sparks & Hartwich-Young,
1989). Still, the influence of higher-level mechanisms on the RDE is rarely examined. Studies usually focus on low-level mechanisms, varying target and/or distractor eccentricity (e.g. Griffiths, Whittle, & Buckley,
2006; Walker et al.,
1997), contrast (Born & Kerzel,
2008), spatial frequency (e.g. Ludwig, Gilchrist, & McSorley,
2005) or size (e.g. White, Gegenfurtner, & Kerzel,
2005).