The crossmodal spatial attention affects face processing

Research on spatial attention has traditionally focused on spatially selective processing within a single sensory modality. But recent research has proved that selective attention is a mechanism that is not limited to a single sensory modality but can encompass or spread across multiple sensory systems. The present study investigated whether the crossmodal spatial attention influences the processing of social salient objects, i.e., human faces. The electroencephalographic (EEG) was recorded and the event-related potentials (ERPs) method was used to examine whether and which stages of processing are modulated by crossmodal spatial attention. The results showed that the ERPs components P100, P300 and LC were affected by crossmodal spatial attention, but these effects were attenuated compare to the visual attention effect. This pattern of results suggests that for the social salient objects, crossmodal links in spatial attention may not only affect sensory-perceptual processes within modality-specific cortical regions, but also impact later post-perceptual processing stages. These findings on crossmodal links are expected to be useful in design of multimodal interface.