Abstract
Previously reward-associated stimuli can automatically capture our attention even when irrelevant to the task at hand. Such value-driven attention has been robustly demonstrated using tasks that manipulate the average reward magnitude or trial-by-trial reward variability, with prior studies showing stronger attentional biases for stimuli associated with greater mean reward and/or reward uncertainty. Less is known concerning whether individual preferences for different kinds of reward cues can influence attentional biases. Here, we sought to manipulate the variability of the reward outcomes associated with different color stimuli while equating average reward earnings and the frequency of exposure (selection history) across conditions. In a training phase, a colored square was presented on the left or right of the display on each trial and participants received reward feedback upon fixating the stimulus. One color was associated with a consistent amount of reward, another color with a reward that was initially low but increased upon consecutive presentations of the stimulus, and a third color with no reward. The total amount of reward earned for each of the two reward-associated colors was equated. During a subsequent test phase, participants were instructed to fixate a peripherally-presented target circle while ignoring a square distractor appearing on the opposite side of fixation. Finally, a two-alternative forced-choice decision-making task was completed in which participants were asked to select the color that they thought would yield the highest earning. No reward feedback was presented during the latter two tasks. The results showed no significant difference in attentional bias between the two reward conditions at the group level. However, a significant correlation between the difference in the frequency of oculomotor capture between the two reward-associated colors and preference during the decision-making task was observed. These findings provide evidence that individual experiences of different reward structures shape the involuntary control of attention.