Chloe Kindell¹, Meghan Garcelon¹, Heather Lucas¹; ¹Louisiana State University

Visual exploration is essential for memory formation, but effective exploration may depend on attentional resources. During free-viewing tasks, divided attention has been shown to restrict visual exploration, producing fewer fixations and longer fixation durations. We examined whether taxing attention during intentional encoding induces similar restricted exploration and whether these viewing constraints are linked to worse subsequent memory. We also asked whether the effects of attentional load differ when load remains constant versus when it increases or decreases mid-task. Eye movements were recorded while participants viewed 80 displays, each containing six abstract line drawings and followed by a spatial reconstruction test. Attentional load during encoding was manipulated during study via a concurrent auditory task. Participants either completed all trials with an easy concurrent task, all trials with a hard concurrent task, or switched task difficulty halfway (easy to hard or hard to easy). During the first half of the experiment, higher attentional load led to the same restricted exploration observed in free-viewing tasks (fewer fixations and longer fixation durations), as well as poorer subsequent memory. Across groups, memory performance generally improved in the second half, reflecting practice-based improvements. However, viewing behaviors showed little change from the first to the second half, suggesting that practice-related gains arise from mechanisms distinct from those associated with attentional load. A key exception occurred in the easy-to-hard group: the mid-task increase in attentional load appeared to override practice-related improvements and induce a restricted exploration pattern similar to that seen under high load initially. Together, the results point to two interacting influences on visuospatial memory performance. Limited attentional resources restrict exploration and impair memory, whereas practice improves performance without altering viewing behavior.