Paper vs. screen: inclination matters during global–local visual processing

The use of new technologies has opened the field to numerous studies regarding their impact on cognition. While many studies have suggested that paper presents an advantage over screens, the impact of the medium during local-global visual attentional processes has never been investigated. Visual processing is indeed characterized by a global advantage (i.e., faster global than local processing) and by global interference (i.e., interference from global information during local processing). We designed a task to assess whether global-local processing could be modulated by the type of medium. Owing to the frequent variations in paper and screen presentations encountered in daily life, we also studied differences in inclination between screen and paper. The results revealed an interaction between inclination and global-local processes. Global interference was more pronounced when the medium was tilted, whereas similar global and local interference effects were observed when the medium was flat. There was no effect of the medium <i>per se</i>. Taken together, these results suggest no evidence of an impact of medium during local-global visual processing but rather suggest an impact of the inclination. This factor is discussed and should be considered in future studies on topics regarding the impact of the digital environment on humans.