The article by Yantis and Jonides (1984) investigates whether abrupt visual onsets capture attention automatically, as hypothesized. Four experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis, using a central cue to direct attention to one of several stimulus positions in preparation for identifying a target letter embedded in an array of distractor letters. The effectiveness of the cue was manipulated by varying its duration and predictive validity to determine if abrupt onsets capture attention even when subjects are in a highly focused attentional state. The results showed that onsets do not necessarily capture attention contrary to the hypothesis. A mechanism for partially automatic attentional capture by abrupt onset is proposed, and the diagnosticity of the intentionality criterion for automaticity is discussed. The authors argue that attentional capture by abrupt onset may not be as strong as previously thought, as it can be influenced by the subject's voluntary allocation of attention. The experiments provide evidence that attentional capture by abrupt onset is not always automatic, challenging the widely held criteria for automaticity.The article by Yantis and Jonides (1984) investigates whether abrupt visual onsets capture attention automatically, as hypothesized. Four experiments were conducted to test this hypothesis, using a central cue to direct attention to one of several stimulus positions in preparation for identifying a target letter embedded in an array of distractor letters. The effectiveness of the cue was manipulated by varying its duration and predictive validity to determine if abrupt onsets capture attention even when subjects are in a highly focused attentional state. The results showed that onsets do not necessarily capture attention contrary to the hypothesis. A mechanism for partially automatic attentional capture by abrupt onset is proposed, and the diagnosticity of the intentionality criterion for automaticity is discussed. The authors argue that attentional capture by abrupt onset may not be as strong as previously thought, as it can be influenced by the subject's voluntary allocation of attention. The experiments provide evidence that attentional capture by abrupt onset is not always automatic, challenging the widely held criteria for automaticity.