Alerting enhances attentional bias for salient stimuli: evidence from a global/local processing task.

•We examined the role of alerting in modulating attention to salient events.•Alerting cues were introduced during performance in a global/local processing task.•Saliency of features was manipulated to create a global or local salient condition.•A double dissociation was found in effects of alerting on global/local interference.•Alerting enhanced attention to relevant or irrelevant stimuli based on their saliency.