ERP evidence for selective drop in attentional costs in uncertain environments: Challenging a purely premotor account of covert orienting of attention

► We recorded ERP in a Posner task with predictive and non-predictive endogenous cues. ► Non-predictive cues produce a drop in attentional costs and in target-related P1. ► Non-predictive cues leave unaffected attentional benefits and target-related N1. ► Non-predictive cues reduce EDAN and enhance ADAN cue-related waves. ► Separated modulation of benefits and costs optimizes orienting with non-predictive cues.