The influence of SOA on working memory guidance of attention

This study examined the influence of SOA on working memory guidance of attention with a modified cue-target paradigm. Specifically, a memory item was initially presented and followed by two squares. The discriminated target was subsequently presented in a matched, non-matched, or baseline condition, then a memory test ended the trial. Five cue-target SOAs (300–1500 ms) were manipulated to elicit the IOR effect. The RT results showed that, (1) a guiding effect occurred at 600–1200 ms SOA, and a trend of the IOR effect at 1500 ms SOA; (2) a facilitating effect to the matched location (matched vs. baseline) was observed at 600 and 1200 ms SOA, and an inhibitory effect to non-matched location (non-matched vs. baseline) was observed at 900 ms SOA. These results indicated that the working memory guiding attention could be modulated by the IOR effect at long SOA.