Attentional orienting is essential for the optimal processing of sensory information. In orienting studies, the visual modality related to surrounding space is often overlooked because visual cues are not directly available to individuals in those regions. In this study, we propose to address the methodological challenge of presenting visual cues associated with surrounding space by adapting the classic Posner paradigm to the use of multiple screens. Participants performed a discrimination task (orientation of a Gabor patch) with predictable cues on the main screen, where different areas of this screen corresponded to computer monitors placed around the participant environment. Four configurations were tested: without additional screens (main screen only), with screens positioned in front of the person (up and down to the right and left), and with screens arranged around the person (front and rear to the right and left). The condition without additional screens serves as a reference. The analysis of reaction times reveals a stronger attentional orienting downwards in the reference condition (downward orienting bias). In terms of accuracy, the data suggest a prioritization of the stimuli bound to the lower-associated space when screens are placed in front (bias towards the bottom) and to the front- associated space when screens are arranged around (bias towards the front). These results illustrate our ability to orient ourselves towards information located in the surrounding environment, the effectiveness of this orientation being influenced by the region of space to be processed. All in all, our work opens new perspectives for studying how surrounding space influence attentional orienting through an innovative method derived from the Posner paradigm. The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 21/02/22. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/JQNFG
Soret et al. (2026) studied this question.