| The relationship between implicit sequence learning and attention is one of the basic questions in the study of implicit learning. Some researchers suggest that implicit sequence learning require attentional resources; other researchers propose that implicit sequence learning is an automatic process that does not require attentional resources. Cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying the relationship is unclear. In the present paper we investigated the relationship between implicit sequence learning and attention systemically from the view of stages of cognitive processing.This paper consisted of six experiments, which adopted ERP or eye tracking technique. Experiment1and experiment2were to explore the early stimulus encoding stage of implicit sequence learning, the rest4experiments were to explore the response selection stage of implicit sequence learning.Experiment1adopted ERP technique, which was to explore the impact of distinctness of stimulus on implicit sequence learning. The stimulus in the high attentional load condition was blurred, the stimulus in the low attentional load cordition was clear.Experiment2was to explore the impact of distractor on implicit sequence learning, which adopted eye tracking technique. There were distractors in the high attentional load condition, and there was no distractor in the low attentional load condition.Experiment3adopted ERP technique. When there was no time interval, the serial reaction time task and tone-identification task were presented simultaneously. When there was time interval, the serial reaction time task was presented firstly.Experiment4adopted eye tracking technique. When there was short time interval, the time interval between serial reaction time task and tone-identification task was short. When there was long time interval, the time interval between serial time task and tone-identification task was long. Experiment5adopted ERP technique on the basis of experiment3, which was to explore the impact of task weight on implicit sequence learning. When there was no task weight, participants could make responses to2tasks in any order. When there was task weight, participants made responses to serial reaction time task firstly.Experiment6adopted eye tracking technique on the basis of experiment4, which was to explore the impact of task weight on implicit sequence learning. When there was task weight, participants made responses to serial reaction time task firstly. When there was no task weight, participants could make responses to2tasks in any order.The results were listed below:(1)The amplitude of P1and N1evoked by detected stimulus of high attentional sequence was bigger than low attentional sequence, there was implicit sequence learning in both high attentional load sequence and low attentional load sequence;(2) The saccadic response time in the condition with distractions was bigger than the saccadic response time in the condition without distraction; there was implicit sequence learning whether there were with distractions or not.(3) There was implicit sequence learning when the sequence response time task and the tone-identification task had intervals, or else there was not implicit sequence learning. The LPC New/Old effect was found when the sequence response time task and the tone-identification task had intervals.(4) There was implicit sequence learning when the sequence response time task and the tone-identification task had priority, or else there was not implicit sequence learning. The LPC New/Old effect was found when the sequence response time task and the tone-identification task had priority.Based on above results, there was implicit sequence learning when the early stimulus encoding stage was affected, implicit sequence learning did not require attentional resources; there was not implicit sequence learning when the response selection stage was affected, implicit sequence learning required attentional resources. Key words:implicit learning; attention; ERP; eye tracking... |
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