Visual attention and prediction in the far periphery

视觉系统的不均匀性给信息处理带来了巨大的挑战。空间分辨率处理的严重差异构成了这种不均匀性的一个核心方面：而对于视网膜中心的物体-中央凹-空间分辨率很高，空间分辨率的程度向周边迅速下降。因此，与中央凹对象相比，外围对象仅粗略地表示。然而，人类对视觉系统的不均匀性有两种强大的补偿机制：注意力和预测。将视觉注意力转移到周边可以改善周边信息处理。预测能够通过预测位置、时间点或甚至周边或中央凹对象的身份来改善具有眼球运动（经眼膜）和不具有眼球运动的信息处理。然而，仍然不确定注意力和预测是否也作为补偿机制在远边缘中起作用，远边缘不能单独通过眼动达到，超出有效的视轴范围（EOMR，>45度）。眼动、视觉空间注意力和（跨眼扫视）预测之间的密切联系意味着，注意力和预测可能在EOMR之外无效或不太有效。由于少数相关的研究显示不一致的结果，这是本项目建议的目的是调查的后果，注意力和预测在遥远的边缘与建立范式的注意力研究（空间线索，视觉搜索）。第一个系列的实验调查是否有现有的定性或（定量）的注意力相关的处理之间的差异，近和远周边的空间线索范式，这意味着在和超越自然EMOR。实验二采用空间线索范式考察了线索的预测性对远近边缘注意加工的影响。最后，第三个系列的实验调查注意力和预测相关的过程在分散注意力的条件下，在视觉搜索范式在近和远的外围。

The visual system's inhomogeneity provides a huge challenge for information processing. Severe differences in spatial resolution processing constitute a central aspect of this inhomogeneity: Whereas for objects in the center of the retina - the fovea - spatial resolution is high, the degree of spatial resolution drops rapidly towards the periphery. Therefore, peripheral objects are only coarsely represented in comparison to foveated objects. However, humans possess two powerful compensation mechanisms for the visual system's inhomogeneity: Attention and prediction. Shifting visual attention towards the periphery improves peripheral information processing. Prediction is able to improve information processing with eye movements (transsaccadically) and without, by predicting the location, point in time or even the identity of peripheral or foveal objects. Nevertheless, it is still uncertain whether attention and prediction operate also as compensation mechanisms in the far periphery, that cannot be reached by eye movements alone, beyond the effective occulomotor range (EOMR, >45 degrees). The close connection between eye movements, visuo-spatial attention and (transsaccadic) prediction implies that attention and prediction might be ineffective or less effective beyond the EOMR. Since the few relevant studies show inconsistent results, it is the aim of the present project proposal to investigate the consequences of attention and prediction in the far periphery with established paradigms of attention research (spatial cueing, visual search). The first series of experiments investigates whether there are existing qualitative or (quantitative) attention-related processing differences between near and far periphery in the spatial cueing paradigm; that means within and beyond the natural EMOR. The second experimental series also uses the spatial cueing paradigm to examine the influence of the cue's predictiveness on attentional processes in near and far periphery. Finally, the third series of experiments investigates attention- and prediction-related processes under distraction conditions in a visual search paradigm in the near and far periphery.