Attention switching between perception and memory

Two experiments were conducted to explore the switching of attention between perception and memory. In Experiment 1, college students performed a task that required them to cycle or switch attention between perceptual and memorial inputs. Switching times of 293 and 376 msec per switch were obtained on the basis of two formulas. In Experiment 2, the attentional load was manipulated by varying the number of perceptual and memorial inputs. Switching time increased as a function of list length, indicating that item load affects both the control processes that set attentional allocation policies and one’s ability to perform memory and/or perceptual tasks. These results suggest that modularity, or encapsulation of item and control-process systems, does not hold. A model is presented that depicts the relation between item and control-process representation in rapidly alternating attention between perception and memory.