Temporal Feature Binding: Attention Mechanisms and Individual Differences

Previous studies have shown that illusory conjunction can emerge for both spatially and temporally proximal objects. However, the mechanisms involved in binding in the temporal domain are not yet fully understood. In the current study, we investigated the role of attentional processes in correct and incorrect temporal binding, and specifically how feature binding is affected by the speed of attentional engagement. In two experiments (N=40), participants searched for a target in a rapid serial visual presentation stream and reported its colour and alphanumeric identity. Temporal binding errors were frequent. Critically, when participants reported the identity of a distractor instead of a target, they were also more likely to report the colour of this distractor. This finding suggest that attentional engagement facilitates the binding of temporally co-occurring features, and that variability in the speed of attentional engagement plays an important role in determining what we see. Moreover, in both experiments, strong correlations were observed between identity and colour reports across participants: individuals who were more likely to erroneously report the identities of post-target distractors were also more likely to report the colours of post-target distractors. This finding points to substantial and reliable individual differences in temporal selectivity, opening the door to future research on this issue.