Eccentricity Differentially Modulates Electrophysiological Indices of Saliency (Ppc) and Attention (N2pc) in Visual Search.
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| Title: | Eccentricity Differentially Modulates Electrophysiological Indices of Saliency (Ppc) and Attention (N2pc) in Visual Search. |
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| Authors: | Kerzel, Dirk (AUTHOR), Oxner, Matt (AUTHOR), Müller, Matthias M. (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Psychophysiology. Jul2026, Vol. 63 Issue 7, p1-12. 12p. |
| Subjects: | Electrophysiology, Attention, Visual perception, Visual cortex |
| Abstract: | This study systematically investigated how visual eccentricity and placement relative to the vertical and horizontal meridians modulate the earliest electrophysiological markers of visual selection: the Ppc (saliency registration) and the N2pc (attentional selectivity). While previous research has largely employed stimuli on the horizontal midline, we employed three experiments to map these components across varying eccentricities (0.8°, 2°, and 6°) and spatial configurations (diagonal vs. horizontal), utilizing cortical magnification scaling to ensure comparable visibility. The results reveal a robust functional dissociation between the two components. The N2pc exhibited a significant reduction in amplitude at 6° eccentricity across all experiments, regardless of behavioral performance, suggesting that focused spatial attention is shaped by the retinotopic architecture of the central visual field. In contrast, the Ppc remained relatively stable in the periphery (2.0° and 6.0°) but showed inconsistent presence at the near‐foveal 0.8° eccentricity, suggesting that early saliency maps are less affected by eccentricity than subsequent attentional deployment. Additionally, a post‐N2pc positivity (PNP) component emerged in the far periphery and for near‐foveal horizontal targets; however, its functional significance remains unclear. These findings demonstrate that electrophysiological indices of saliency and attentional selection are differentially affected by visual field position. On a practical note, small eccentricities and diagonal placements are preferable for maximizing the N2pc. Conversely, these same parameters should be avoided to maximize the Ppc. Impact Statement: Electrophysiological indices of saliency (Ppc, 80–120 ms) and attention (N2pc, 180–300 ms) are recorded at electrodes PO7/PO8, yet they require different stimulus placements for optimal results. We found the Ppc to be unreliable at small eccentricities (0.8°), particularly on the diagonals, whereas the N2pc was significantly reduced at large eccentricities (6.0°). While horizontal stimuli showed consistent results at small distances (0.8° vs. 2.0°), diagonal stimuli caused notable N2pc variations. Consequently, researchers should avoid central placement to capture the Ppc and avoid the (far) periphery to elicit the N2pc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Psychophysiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
| FullText | Text: Availability: 0 |
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| Header | DbId: pbh DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection An: 195715359 AccessLevel: 6 PubType: Academic Journal PubTypeId: academicJournal PreciseRelevancyScore: 0 |
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| Items | – Name: Title Label: Title Group: Ti Data: Eccentricity Differentially Modulates Electrophysiological Indices of Saliency (Ppc) and Attention (N2pc) in Visual Search. – Name: Author Label: Authors Group: Au Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Kerzel%2C+Dirk%22">Kerzel, Dirk</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Oxner%2C+Matt%22">Oxner, Matt</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Müller%2C+Matthias+M%2E%22">Müller, Matthias M.</searchLink> (AUTHOR) – Name: TitleSource Label: Source Group: Src Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Psychophysiology%22">Psychophysiology</searchLink>. Jul2026, Vol. 63 Issue 7, p1-12. 12p. – Name: Subject Label: Subjects Group: Su Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electrophysiology%22">Electrophysiology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attention%22">Attention</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+perception%22">Visual perception</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Visual+cortex%22">Visual cortex</searchLink> – Name: Abstract Label: Abstract Group: Ab Data: This study systematically investigated how visual eccentricity and placement relative to the vertical and horizontal meridians modulate the earliest electrophysiological markers of visual selection: the Ppc (saliency registration) and the N2pc (attentional selectivity). While previous research has largely employed stimuli on the horizontal midline, we employed three experiments to map these components across varying eccentricities (0.8°, 2°, and 6°) and spatial configurations (diagonal vs. horizontal), utilizing cortical magnification scaling to ensure comparable visibility. The results reveal a robust functional dissociation between the two components. The N2pc exhibited a significant reduction in amplitude at 6° eccentricity across all experiments, regardless of behavioral performance, suggesting that focused spatial attention is shaped by the retinotopic architecture of the central visual field. In contrast, the Ppc remained relatively stable in the periphery (2.0° and 6.0°) but showed inconsistent presence at the near‐foveal 0.8° eccentricity, suggesting that early saliency maps are less affected by eccentricity than subsequent attentional deployment. Additionally, a post‐N2pc positivity (PNP) component emerged in the far periphery and for near‐foveal horizontal targets; however, its functional significance remains unclear. These findings demonstrate that electrophysiological indices of saliency and attentional selection are differentially affected by visual field position. On a practical note, small eccentricities and diagonal placements are preferable for maximizing the N2pc. Conversely, these same parameters should be avoided to maximize the Ppc. Impact Statement: Electrophysiological indices of saliency (Ppc, 80–120 ms) and attention (N2pc, 180–300 ms) are recorded at electrodes PO7/PO8, yet they require different stimulus placements for optimal results. We found the Ppc to be unreliable at small eccentricities (0.8°), particularly on the diagonals, whereas the N2pc was significantly reduced at large eccentricities (6.0°). While horizontal stimuli showed consistent results at small distances (0.8° vs. 2.0°), diagonal stimuli caused notable N2pc variations. Consequently, researchers should avoid central placement to capture the Ppc and avoid the (far) periphery to elicit the N2pc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] – Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright Label: Group: Ab Data: <i>Copyright of Psychophysiology is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) |
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| RecordInfo | BibRecord: BibEntity: Identifiers: – Type: doi Value: 10.1111/psyp.70357 Languages: – Code: eng Text: English PhysicalDescription: Pagination: PageCount: 12 StartPage: 1 Subjects: – SubjectFull: Electrophysiology Type: general – SubjectFull: Attention Type: general – SubjectFull: Visual perception Type: general – SubjectFull: Visual cortex Type: general Titles: – TitleFull: Eccentricity Differentially Modulates Electrophysiological Indices of Saliency (Ppc) and Attention (N2pc) in Visual Search. Type: main BibRelationships: HasContributorRelationships: – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Kerzel, Dirk – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Oxner, Matt – PersonEntity: Name: NameFull: Müller, Matthias M. IsPartOfRelationships: – BibEntity: Dates: – D: 01 M: 07 Text: Jul2026 Type: published Y: 2026 Identifiers: – Type: issn-print Value: 00485772 Numbering: – Type: volume Value: 63 – Type: issue Value: 7 Titles: – TitleFull: Psychophysiology Type: main |
| ResultId | 1 |
