Does a Flatter General Gradient of Visual Attention Explain Peripheral Advantages and Central Deficits in Deaf Adults?

We tested the proposal that auditory deprivation flattens the general attentional gradient across visual space. Deaf participants without but not with cochlear implants showed a central object identification deficit compared to hearing participants. Concurrent spatial localization performance gradients (parafoveal-to-peripheral) were equivalent across groups. A general flatter gradient was not found.