Near, yet so far: The effect of pictorial cues on spatial attention

Distinct cognitive and neural mechanisms underlie perception and action in near (within-reach) and far (outside-reach) space. Objects in far space can be brought into the brain’s near-space through tool-use. We determined whether a near object can be pushed into far space by changing the pictorial context in which it occurs. Participants (n = 372) made relative length judgements for lines presented in near space, but superimposed over photographs of near and far objects. The left segment of the line was overestimated in the baseline and near-context conditions whereas the right was overestimated in the far-context. The change from leftward to rightward overestimation is the same when lines are physically shifted from near to far space. Because participants did not have to do anything in relation to the photograph, the results suggest that simply viewing images with a near/far context can cause a shift of attention along the distal/proximal axis, which may reflect differential activation of the ventral/dorsal visual streams.

The effect of contextual distance on the distribution of attention in the left and right hemispaces.Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (73 K)Download as PowerPoint slideHighlights
► Attention in near/far space is controlled by distinct cognitive/neural mechanisms.
► We test whether near/far attention can be shifted by changing the object’s context.
► A line bisection task was superimposed over pictures of near and far objects.
► Distant objects pushed the lines into far space, resulting in rightward bisections.
► High level context cues produce an attentional effect similar to physical shifts.