The Effect of the Visual-Spatial Orienting on the Psychology Refractory Interference in Various Levels of Perceptual-Motor Task Difficulty

Limits in performing concurrent multiple tasks often refer to as central attentional limitation. Visuospatial attention improves performance especially when stimuli are presented at attended locations. The aim of this study was answering to this question whether changing visuospatial attention by manipulating the cue-target compatibility would affect the attention mechanisms that limit central processing in multiple-task situations. In this experiment, a modified psychological refractory period paradigm was incorporated in which the second task was either a detection or discrimination, and a valid or invalid cue was presented before the first stimulus. The time interval between the first and second target were 200,400, and 900 ms. Finding revealed that visuospatial attention is related to the central attentional limitation, but controlling spatial attention without central resources is possible.