Abstract
When the second of two targets (T2) is presented in close temporal proximity (within 200-500 ms) to the first (T1), accuracy for reporting T2 is reduced relative to when the targets are separated by longer durations--the attentional blink (AB). Two recent studies have shown that individual differences in the magnitude of the AB are stable both within a single testing session and over time. While one study found a large positive correlation between AB magnitude when there was an attentional set/task switch between T1 and T2 and when there was not, the other study found no relationship between switch and no-switch paradigms. The current study was conducted to clarify this discrepancy by examining the reliability of, and relationships among, individual differences in AB performance on 5 different versions of the standard dual-target RSVP paradigm (three of which involved an attentional set/task switch between T1 and T2, and two of which did not). Participants completed all 5 paradigms, and then returned 7-10 days later to again complete the same paradigms. All 5 versions were reliable both within, and across, testing sessions, demonstrating again that individual differences in AB performance are stable over time. In addition, all 5 AB versions were significantly intercorrelated, although the strength of the relationship differed depending on the extent to which the T1 and T2 attentional sets/tasks overlapped. These findings provide evidence that multiple distinct dual-target RSVP tasks do share underlying variability, providing support for the use of different versions of the paradigm in the literature.
Meeting abstract presented at VSS 2013