Visual-field asymmetry in dual-stream RSVP

The attentional blink (AB) refers to a decrement in detecting the occurrence of a probe item if it closely follows a previous target item in rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP). In the present study we presented target and probe stimuli in two parallel RSVP streams, one in each visual field, in order to address the question of whether the AB might differ between the cerebral hemispheres. The characteristic AB, with reduced detection of the probe at post-target Lags 2-5, but no such deficit at Lag 1 (Lag 1 sparing), was observed when target and probe were both in the right visual field. When they were both presented in the left visual field the AB was attenuated. When the target and probe were in opposite visual fields, probe detection was again reduced when it was in the left visual field, and there was no Lag 1 sparing. The left-visual-field advantage in performing the AB task may reflect a general right-hemispheric specialization for attentional processing.