Internet-word compared with daily-word priming reduces attentional scope.

Abstract

This study tested whether one aspect of cognitive processing, namely visual attentional scope, was more narrow in an Internet environment compared to a daily-life environment. Words related to the Internet and words related to daily life were used as priming stimuli before participants had to respond to a Navon letter to assess attention to global vs. local targets. In Experiment 1, reaction time during the Navon task showed that global processing priority was greater after daily words than after Internet words. In Experiment 2, ERP data showed significantly larger P2 amplitudes induced by global letters than local letters in the two conditions. After Internet-word priming, a smaller N2 amplitude was induced by local letters than by global letters, but this difference was not observed after daily-word priming. The influence of priming on attentional scope might have occurred at the stage of cognitive control, indicating that it was easier to resist the interfering effect of global letters in the Internet-word condition than in the daily-word condition. The results of both experiments suggest that attentional scope is narrower in an Internet environment than in a daily-life environment.