Attentional switch to memory: An early and late stage of cognitive processing allowing efficient visual search

Abstract

Individuals are apt to link various characteristics of an object or event through different sensory experiences. We conducted an electrophysiological study to examine the in-depth cognitive processing mechanisms underlying the visual search process in multisensory attention. A pilot study with two questionnaires was conducted to screen experimental materials and establish the color-flavor combinations. In the experimental study, the participants were prompted with a flavor label and asked to choose the one with it from the following four beverage bottle images. The behavioral results showed that searching for a color-flavor weak association target was slower than for a strong association one in the color-flavor congruent condition, opposite to the incongruent condition. The ERP component analysis detected smaller N2 and larger P3 and LPC amplitudes for the color-flavor incongruent targets than for the congruent targets. A further time-frequency analysis elicited that the color-flavor congruent and strong association targets evoked lower parietal theta power (range: 200–800 ms, 4–8 Hz) than the incongruent and weak association targets, respectively. Overall, our research indicated that (1) the color-flavor congruency and association strength interactively impacted the visual search efficiency, (2) the attentional switch from external stimuli to internal memory is necessary for efficient visual search, and (3) the parietal region plays a critical role in attentional processing and memory retrieval. These findings shed light on the intricate cognitive processes involved in visual search and the underlying neurocognitive dynamics.