Social and non-social directional cues differentially orient attention by learned habit.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Since an early age, we are implicitly motivated to use the direction of eye gaze of others to learn about the environment, and we orient our attention in space based on this directional signal. Similarly, we orient our attention based on the direction of arrow signs. In both cases, the mechanisms underlying attentional orienting rely on the activity of brain areas involved in endogenous attention; however, orienting by gaze direction also relies on brain areas involved in exogenous attention.

Research questions

To date, it remains unclear whether the acquisition of attentional habit, which can also guide attention in ways that are not purely endogenous or exogenous, is similar for gaze and arrow or rather differs in some important way. We aimed to assess whether

SUBMITTER: Salera C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12454303 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature