Distinct mechanisms subserve location- and object-based visual attention

Visual attention can be allocated to either a location or an object, named location- or object-based attention, respectively. Despite the burgeoning evidence in support of the existence of two kinds of attention, little is known about their underlying mechanisms in terms of whether they are achieved by enhancing signal strength or excluding external noises. We adopted the noise-masking paradigm in conjunction with the double-rectangle method to probe the mechanisms of location-based attention and object-based attention. Two rectangles were shown, and one end of one rectangle was cued, followed by the target appearing at (a) the cued location; (b) the uncued end of the cued rectangle; and (c) the equal-distant end of the uncued rectangle. Observers were required to detect the target that was superimposed at different levels of noise contrast. We explored how attention affects performance by assessing the threshold versus external noise contrast (TvC) functions and fitted them with a divisive inhibition model. Results show that location-based attention – lower threshold at cued location than at uncued location – was observed at all noise levels, a signature of signal enhancement. However, object-based attention – lower threshold at the uncued end of the cued than at the uncued rectangle – was found only in high-noise conditions, a signature of noise exclusion. Findings here shed a new insight into the current theories of object-based attention.