Unstructured scene search experience impairs contextual cue learning by shortening the reinforcement time window

Contextual cueing refers to the incidental acquisition of associations between distractor contexts and targets that are repeatedly presented in visual search scenes. Extensive prior exposure to random, unstructured scenes may reduce the efficiency of contextual cue learning. The present study aimed to verify the existence of this phenomenon and to explore the mechanism by which unstructured scene experience interferes with contextual cue learning. Experiment 1 confirmed the interference effect. In Experiment 2, the number of trials per block during the contextual cue learning phase was reduced, thereby shortening the average presentation interval of each repeated scene; this manipulation improved learning efficiency under interference from unstructured scene experience. In Experiment 3, the average presentation interval was lengthened by increasing the inter-trial interval, and learning efficiency was again impaired. These findings demonstrate that unstructured scene experience disrupts contextual cue learning by reducing the likelihood that repeated scenes are successfully reinforced through shortening the temporal window for representational reinforcement.