Attention defines the context for implicit sensorimotor adaptation

The sensorimotor system continuously uses error signals to remain precisely calibrated. We examined how attention influences this automatic and implicit learning process in humans (male and female). Focusing first on spatial attention, we compared conditions in which attention was oriented either towards or away from the visual feedback that defined the error signal. Surprisingly, this manipulation had no effect on the rate of sensorimotor adaptation. Using dual-task methods, we next examined the influence of attentional resources on adaptation. Again, we found no effect of attention, with the rate of adaptation similar under focused and divided attention conditions. However, we found that attention modulates adaptation in an indirect manner: The rate of adaptation was significantly attenuated when the attended stimulus changed from the end of one trial to the start of the next trial. In contrast, similar changes to unattended stimuli had no impact on adaptation. These results suggest that visual attention defines the cues that establish the context for sensorimotor learning. Significance statement In many domains, attention has been found to be a potent modulator of learning. Here, we present an exception. In a series of experiments, we find that sensorimotor adaptation is surprisingly robust, unaffected by manipulations of spatial attention or the availability of cognitive resources. Interestingly, we identified a unique way in which visual attention does influence adaptation: Attended stimuli serve as contextual cues that constrain the expression of motor memory even if the stimuli are not relevant to the adaptation task. Specifically, the generalization of learning was impaired when the attended stimuli changed. Our result suggests that attention constrains the information that will define the learning context for sensorimotor adaptation.