Abstract
ABSTRACTSupraliminal central cue words elicit spatial attention shifts to the cued side. To investigate, if this also holds true for subliminal central words, masked cue/prime words, left or right, were shown prior to a visual colour search display. Both response times to targets and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) reflecting spatial attention (EDAN, ADAN, LDAP, N2pc) were analyzed. In Experiment 1, we found no evidence for spatial attention shifts by subliminal central words; neither significant ERPs (EDAN, ADAN, LDAP) nor significant validity effects in the behavioural data. To control for the processing of the subliminal words, we included trials with a congruent or incongruent target word (left or right) in a classic target discrimination task in Experiment 2, and additionally analyzed an ERP reflecting semantic congruence, the N400. We mainly replicated the results from Experiment 1 (no spatial attention shifts by subliminal words) and found a difference depending on the congruence between subliminal word and target word (N400) as well as a negative congruence effect in the reaction times. These findings demonstrate that the subliminal word was processed. We therefore conclude that subliminally presented central cue words – even though they are processed – cannot elicit spatial attention shifts in visual colour search.
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