The role of saccade preparation in lateralized word recognition: Evidence for the attentional bias theory

Words presented to the right visual field (RVF) are recognized more readily than those presented to the left visual field (LVF). Whereas the attentional bias theory proposes an explanation in terms of attentional imbalance between visual fields, the attentional advantage theory assumes that words presented to the RVF are processed automatically while LVF words need attention. In this study, we exploited coupling between attention and saccadic eye movements to orient spatial attention to one or the other visual field. The first experiment compared conditions wherein participants had to remain fixated centrally or had to make a saccade to the visual field in which subsequent verbal stimuli were displayed. The orienting of attention by saccade preparation improved performance in a lexical decision task in both the LVF and the RVF. In the second experiment, participants had to make a saccade either to the visual field where verbal stimuli were presented subsequently or to the opposite side. For RVF as well as for LVF presentation, saccade preparation toward the opposite side decreased performance compared to the same side condition. These results are better explained by the attentional bias theory, and are discussed in the light of a new attentional theory dissociating two major components of attention, namely preparation and selection.