Multisensory working memory capture of attention

Abstract

During visual search, representations in working memory (WM) can guide the deployment of attention toward memory-matching visual input. Although previous studies have demonstrated that multisensory interactions facilitate WM and visual search, it remains unclear whether multisensory interaction influences attentional capture by WM. To address this issue, the present study adopted a dual-task paradigm, pairing a visual search task with a WM task, in which the memory modality was manipulated to be either visual or audiovisual. The results revealed that memory-driven attentional capture was observed under the visual and the audiovisual condition. Additionally, the capture effects and response time (RT) costs under the audiovisual condition were weaker than those under the visual condition, even on the trials with the earliest RTs. Furthermore, RT benefits under the audiovisual condition were comparable with those under the visual condition. These findings suggest that multisensory interactions can enhance cognitive control, leading to robust strategic effects and improved search performance. In this process, cognitive control tends to suppress the attentional capture by WM-matching distractors rather than enhance the attentional capture by WM-matching targets. The present study offers new insights into the influence of multisensory interactions on attentional capture by WM.