1
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Zhao G, Wu R, Wang H, Chen J, Li S, Wang Q, Sun HJ. Reward History and Statistical Learning Independently Impact Attention Search: An ERP Study. Brain Sci 2024; 14:874. [PMID: 39335370 PMCID: PMC11431015 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14090874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2024] [Revised: 08/18/2024] [Accepted: 08/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Selection history is widely accepted as a vital source in attention control. Reward history indicates that a learned association captures attention even when the reward is no longer presented, while statistical learning indicates that a learned probability exerts its influence on attentional control (facilitation or inhibition). Existing research has shown that the effects of the reward history and statistical learning are additive, suggesting that these two components influence attention priority through different pathways. In the current study, leveraging the temporal resolution advantages of EEG, we explored whether these two components represent independent sources of attentional bias. The results revealed faster responses to the target at the high-probability location compared to low-probability locations. Both the target and distractor at high-probability locations elicited larger early Pd (50-150 ms) and Pd (150-250 ms) components. The reward distractor slowed the target search and elicited a larger N2pc (180-350 ms). Further, no interaction between statistical learning and the reward history was observed in RTs or N2pc. The different types of temporal progression in attention control indicate that statistical learning and the reward history independently modulate the attention priority map.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Zhao
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Rongtao Wu
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Huijun Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Jiahuan Chen
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Shiyi Li
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin 300387, China
| | - Hong-Jin Sun
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON L8S 4K1, Canada
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2
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Guo J, Wei W. Factors influencing the role of inhibitory control in non-symbolic numerical processing. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2024; 248:104346. [PMID: 38870687 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have found that inhibitory control plays an important role in non-symbolic numerical processing. However, this role may be influenced by the visual cue control method or the stimulus' presentation time. We investigated these questions by conducting three experiments using a priming paradigm to compare the level of inhibitory control in a sequential dot comparison task with single-dimensional and multi-dimensional control of visual cues under two presentation time conditions (300 ms and 1500 ms). We found that neither the method of visual cue control nor the presentation time of dot arrays affected the level of inhibitory control in the dot comparison task. These results reveal a stable role of inhibitory control in non-symbolic numerical processing, providing further evidence for integrating numerical and visual information during non-symbolic numerical processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junzhen Guo
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hang Zhou 310028, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hang Zhou 310028, China.
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3
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Liesefeld HR, Lamy D, Gaspelin N, Geng JJ, Kerzel D, Schall JD, Allen HA, Anderson BA, Boettcher S, Busch NA, Carlisle NB, Colonius H, Draschkow D, Egeth H, Leber AB, Müller HJ, Röer JP, Schubö A, Slagter HA, Theeuwes J, Wolfe J. Terms of debate: Consensus definitions to guide the scientific discourse on visual distraction. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024:10.3758/s13414-023-02820-3. [PMID: 38177944 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02820-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
Hypothesis-driven research rests on clearly articulated scientific theories. The building blocks for communicating these theories are scientific terms. Obviously, communication - and thus, scientific progress - is hampered if the meaning of these terms varies idiosyncratically across (sub)fields and even across individual researchers within the same subfield. We have formed an international group of experts representing various theoretical stances with the goal to homogenize the use of the terms that are most relevant to fundamental research on visual distraction in visual search. Our discussions revealed striking heterogeneity and we had to invest much time and effort to increase our mutual understanding of each other's use of central terms, which turned out to be strongly related to our respective theoretical positions. We present the outcomes of these discussions in a glossary and provide some context in several essays. Specifically, we explicate how central terms are used in the distraction literature and consensually sharpen their definitions in order to enable communication across theoretical standpoints. Where applicable, we also explain how the respective constructs can be measured. We believe that this novel type of adversarial collaboration can serve as a model for other fields of psychological research that strive to build a solid groundwork for theorizing and communicating by establishing a common language. For the field of visual distraction, the present paper should facilitate communication across theoretical standpoints and may serve as an introduction and reference text for newcomers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich R Liesefeld
- Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Hochschulring 18, D-28359, Bremen, Germany.
| | - Dominique Lamy
- The School of Psychology Sciences and The Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv 69978, POB 39040, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | | | - Joy J Geng
- University of California Davis, Daivs, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Hans Colonius
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Anna Schubö
- Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Jeremy Wolfe
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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4
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Tsai SY, Nasemann J, Qiu N, Töllner T, Müller HJ, Shi Z. Little engagement of attention by salient distractors defined in a different dimension or modality to the visual search target. Psychophysiology 2023; 60:e14375. [PMID: 37417320 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Singleton distractors may inadvertently capture attention, interfering with the task at hand. The underlying neural mechanisms of how we prevent or handle distractor interference remain elusive. Here, we varied the type of salient distractor introduced in a visual search task: the distractor could be defined in the same (shape) dimension as the target, a different (color) dimension, or a different (tactile) modality (intra-dimensional, cross-dimensional, and, respectively, cross-modal distractor, all matched for physical salience); and besides behavioral interference, we measured lateralized electrophysiological indicators of attentional selectivity (the N2pc, Ppc, PD , CCN/CCP, CDA, and cCDA). The results revealed the intra-dimensional distractor to produce the strongest reaction-time interference, associated with the smallest target-elicited N2pc. In contrast, the cross-dimensional and cross-modal distractors did not engender any significant interference, and the target-elicited N2pc was comparable to the condition in which the search display contained only the target singleton, thus ruling out early attentional capture. Moreover, the cross-modal distractor elicited a significant early CCN/CCP, but did not influence the target-elicited N2pc, suggesting that the tactile distractor is registered by the somatosensory system (rather than being proactively suppressed), without, however, engaging attention. Together, our findings indicate that, in contrast to distractors defined in the same dimension as the target, distractors singled out in a different dimension or modality can be effectively prevented to engage attention, consistent with dimension- or modality-weighting accounts of attentional priority computation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shao-Yang Tsai
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Jan Nasemann
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nan Qiu
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Töllner
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Hermann J Müller
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Zhuanghua Shi
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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5
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Gaspelin N, Lamy D, Egeth HE, Liesefeld HR, Kerzel D, Mandal A, Müller MM, Schall JD, Schubö A, Slagter HA, Stilwell BT, van Moorselaar D. The Distractor Positivity Component and the Inhibition of Distracting Stimuli. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:1693-1715. [PMID: 37677060 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_02051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/09/2023]
Abstract
There has been a long-lasting debate about whether salient stimuli, such as uniquely colored objects, have the ability to automatically distract us. To resolve this debate, it has been suggested that salient stimuli do attract attention but that they can be suppressed to prevent distraction. Some research supporting this viewpoint has focused on a newly discovered ERP component called the distractor positivity (PD), which is thought to measure an inhibitory attentional process. This collaborative review summarizes previous research relying on this component with a specific emphasis on how the PD has been used to understand the ability to ignore distracting stimuli. In particular, we outline how the PD component has been used to gain theoretical insights about how search strategy and learning can influence distraction. We also review alternative accounts of the cognitive processes indexed by the PD component. Ultimately, we conclude that the PD component is a useful tool for understanding inhibitory processes related to distraction and may prove to be useful in other areas of study related to cognitive control.
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6
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Dent K. On the role of top-down and bottom-up guidance in conjunction search: Singleton interference revisited. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:1784-1810. [PMID: 37017865 PMCID: PMC10545595 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02691-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023]
Abstract
The current study reassessed the potential of salient singleton distractors to interfere in conjunction search. Experiment 1 investigated conjunctions of colour and orientation, using densely packed arrays that produced highly efficient search. The results demonstrated clear interference effects of singleton distractors in task-relevant dimensions colour and orientation, but no interference from those in a task-irrelevant dimension (motion). Goals exerted an influence in constraining this interference such that the singleton interference along one dimension was modulated by target relevance along the other task relevant dimension. Colour singleton interference was much stronger when the singleton shared the target orientation, and orientation interference was much stronger when the orientation singleton shared the target colour. Experiments 2 and 3 examined singleton-distractor interference in feature search. The results showed strong interference particularly from task-relevant dimensions but a reduced role for top-down, feature-based modulation of singleton interference, compared with conjunction search. The results are consistent with a model of conjunction search based on core elements of the guided search and dimension weighting approaches, whereby weighted dimensional feature contrast signals are combined with top-down feature guidance signals in a feature-independent map that serves to guide search.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Dent
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Wivenhoe Park, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK.
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7
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Kerzel D, Huynh Cong S. Biased Competition between Targets and Distractors Reduces Attentional Suppression: Evidence from the Positivity Posterior Contralateral and Distractor Positivity. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1563-1575. [PMID: 35640105 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The biased competition account claims that competition between two stimuli increases when they are close together compared with when they are far apart. The reason is that nearby stimuli are more likely to be represented in the same receptive fields, requiring top-down or bottom-up biases to resolve the ambiguity. Consistent with biased competition, previous research showed that an index of attentional enhancement, the N2pc component, was attenuated when two targets were close together. In contrast, it is unclear whether distractor processing would also be attenuated when the distractor is close to the target. To answer this question, we used the additional singleton paradigm where a target is sometimes accompanied by a more salient, but entirely irrelevant, distractor. In the conditions of interest, the distance between the target and the distractor was systematically manipulated whereas the eccentricity to central fixation was always the same. The results showed that two indices of attentional suppression, the positivity posterior contralateral and distractor positivity components, were attenuated when the distractor was close to the target. Consistent with biased competition, attentional suppression of distractors was inhibited when the distance between target and distractor was short. The reduced attentional suppression of distractors with nearby targets may contribute to the increased behavioral interference with close distractors.
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8
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Statistical learning in visual search reflects distractor rarity, not only attentional suppression. Psychon Bull Rev 2022; 29:1890-1897. [PMID: 35445289 PMCID: PMC9568448 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02097-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
In visual search tasks, salient distractors may capture attention involuntarily, but interference can be reduced when the salient distractor appears more frequently on one out of several possible positions. The reduction was attributed to attentional suppression of the high-probability position. However, all previous studies on this topic compared performance on the high-probability position to the remaining positions, which had a low probability of containing the distractor. Therefore, it is not clear whether the difference resulted from reduced interference on the high-probability position or from increased interference on the low-probability positions. To decide between these alternatives, we compared high-probability and low-probability with equal-probability positions. Consistent with attentional suppression, interference was reduced on the high-probability position compared with equal-probability positions. However, there was also an increase in interference on low-probability positions compared with equal-probability positions. The increase is in line with previous reports of boosted interference when distractors are rare. Our results show that the experimental design used in previous research is insufficient to separate effects of attentional suppression and those of distractor rarity.
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9
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Liesefeld HR, Liesefeld AM, Müller HJ. Preparatory Control Against Distraction Is Not Feature-Based. Cereb Cortex 2021; 32:2398-2411. [PMID: 34585718 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhab341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Salient-but-irrelevant stimuli (distractors) co-occurring with search targets can capture attention against the observer's will. Recently, evidence has accumulated that preparatory control can prevent this misguidance of spatial attention in predictable situations. However, the underlying mechanisms have remained elusive. Most pertinent theories assume that attention is guided by specific features. This widespread theoretical claim provides several strong predictions with regard to distractor handling that are disconfirmed here: Employing electrophysiological markers of covert attentional dynamics, in three experiments, we show that distractors standing out by a feature that is categorically different from the target consistently captures attention. However, equally salient distractors standing out in a different feature dimension are effectively down-weighted, even if unpredictably swapping their defining feature with the target. This shows that preparing for a distractor's feature is neither necessary nor sufficient for successful avoidance of attentional capture. Rather, capture is prevented by preparing for the distractor's feature dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich R Liesefeld
- Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen D-28359, Germany.,Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München D-80802, Germany
| | - Anna M Liesefeld
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München D-80802, Germany
| | - Hermann J Müller
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, München D-80802, Germany
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10
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Dodwell G, Liesefeld HR, Conci M, Müller HJ, Töllner T. EEG evidence for enhanced attentional performance during moderate-intensity exercise. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13923. [PMID: 34370887 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Research on attentional control within real-world contexts has become substantially more feasible and thus frequent over the past decade. However, relatively little is known regarding how these processes may be influenced by common naturalistic behaviors such as engaging in physical activity, which is thought to modulate the availability of neurometabolic resources. Here, we used an event-related potential (ERP) approach to determine whether various intensities of aerobic exercise might affect the concurrent performance of attentional control mechanisms. Participants performed an additional-singleton visual search task across three levels of aerobic activity while seated on a stationary bicycle: at rest, during moderate-intensity exercise, and during vigorous-intensity exercise. In addition to behavioral measures, attentional processing was assessed via lateralized ERPs referencing target selection (PCN) and distractor suppression (PD ) mechanisms. Whereas engaging in exercise resulted in speeded response times overall, moderate-intensity exercise was found to uniquely eliminate the expression of distractor interference by the PCN while also giving rise to an unanticipated distractor-elicited Ppc. These findings demonstrate workload-specific and object-selective influences of aerobic exercise on attentional processing, providing insights not only for approaching attention in real-world contexts but also for understanding how attentional resources are used overall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gordon Dodwell
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Heinrich R Liesefeld
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Markus Conci
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Hermann J Müller
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Thomas Töllner
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg, Germany.,Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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11
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Di Caro V, Della Libera C. Statistical learning of target selection and distractor suppression shape attentional priority according to different timeframes. Sci Rep 2021; 11:13761. [PMID: 34215819 PMCID: PMC8253746 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93335-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent findings suggest that attentional and oculomotor control is heavily affected by past experience, giving rise to selection and suppression history effects, so that target selection is facilitated if they appear at frequently attended locations, and distractor filtering is facilitated at frequently ignored locations. While selection history effects once instantiated seem to be long-lasting, whether suppression history is similarly durable is still debated. We assessed the permanence of these effects in a unique experimental setting investigating eye-movements, where the locations associated with statistical unbalances were exclusively linked with either target selection or distractor suppression. Experiment 1 and 2 explored the survival of suppression history in the long and in the short term, respectively, revealing that its lingering traces are relatively short lived. Experiment 3 showed that in the very same experimental context, selection history effects were long lasting. These results seem to suggest that different mechanisms support the learning-induced plasticity triggered by selection and suppression history. Specifically, while selection history may depend on lasting changes within stored representations of the visual space, suppression history effects hinge instead on a functional plasticity which is transient in nature, and involves spatial representations which are constantly updated and adaptively sustain ongoing oculomotor control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Di Caro
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Chiara Della Libera
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
- Section of Physiology and Psychology, Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, University of Verona - Medical School, Strada Le Grazie 8, 37134, Verona, Italy.
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12
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Constant M, Liesefeld HR. Massive Effects of Saliency on Information Processing in Visual Working Memory. Psychol Sci 2021; 32:682-691. [DOI: 10.1177/0956797620975785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Limitations in the ability to temporarily represent information in visual working memory (VWM) are crucial for visual cognition. Whether VWM processing is dependent on an object’s saliency (i.e., how much it stands out) has been neglected in VWM research. Therefore, we developed a novel VWM task that allows direct control over saliency. In three experiments with this task (on 10, 31, and 60 adults, respectively), we consistently found that VWM performance is strongly and parametrically influenced by saliency and that both an object’s relative saliency (compared with concurrently presented objects) and absolute saliency influence VWM processing. We also demonstrated that this effect is indeed due to bottom-up saliency rather than differential fit between each object and the top-down attentional template. A simple computational model assuming that VWM performance is determined by the weighted sum of absolute and relative saliency accounts well for the observed data patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Constant
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
| | - Heinrich R. Liesefeld
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
- Munich Center for Neurosciences–Brain & Mind, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
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13
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Güldener L, Jüllig A, Soto D, Pollmann S. Feature-Based Attentional Weighting and Re-weighting in the Absence of Visual Awareness. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:610347. [PMID: 33584229 PMCID: PMC7878679 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.610347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual attention evolved as an adaptive mechanism allowing us to cope with a rapidly changing environment. It enables the facilitated processing of relevant information, often automatically and governed by implicit motives. However, despite recent advances in understanding the relationship between consciousness and visual attention, the functional scope of unconscious attentional control is still under debate. Here, we present a novel masking paradigm in which volunteers were to distinguish between varying orientations of a briefly presented, masked grating stimulus. Combining signal detection theory and subjective measures of awareness, we show that performance on unaware trials was consistent with visual selection being weighted towards repeated orientations of Gabor patches and reallocated in response to a novel unconsciously processed orientation. This was particularly present in trials in which the prior feature was strongly weighted and only if the novel feature was invisible. Thus, our results provide evidence that invisible orientation stimuli can trigger the reallocation of history-guided visual selection weights.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lasse Güldener
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Antonia Jüllig
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - David Soto
- Ikerbasque, Basque Foundation for Science, Basque Center on Cognition, Brain, and Language (BCBL), San Sebastian, Spain
| | - Stefan Pollmann
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Experimental Psychology and Center of Behavioral Brain Science, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Magdeburg, Germany.,Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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14
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Sauter M, Hanning NM, Liesefeld HR, Müller HJ. Post-capture processes contribute to statistical learning of distractor locations in visual search. Cortex 2020; 135:108-126. [PMID: 33360756 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.11.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Revised: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
People can learn to ignore salient distractors that occur frequently at particular locations, making them interfere less with task performance. This effect has been attributed to learnt suppression of the likely distractor locations at a pre-selective stage of attentional-priority computation. However, rather than distractors at frequent (vs rare) locations being just less likely to capture attention, attention may possibly also be disengaged faster from such distractors - a post-selective contribution to their reduced interference. Eye-movement studies confirm that learnt suppression, evidenced by a reduced rate of oculomotor capture by distractors at frequent locations, is a major factor, whereas the evidence is mixed with regard to a role of rapid disengagement However, methodological choices in these studies limited conclusions as to the contribution of a post-capture effect. Using an adjusted design, here we positively establish the rapid-disengagement effect, while corroborating the oculomotor-capture effect. Moreover, we examine distractor-location learning effects not only for distractors defined in a different visual dimension to the search target, but also for distractors defined within the same dimension, which are known to cause particularly strong interference and probability-cueing effects. Here, we show that both oculomotor-capture and disengagement dynamics contribute to this pattern. Additionally, on distractor-absent trials, the slowed responses to targets at frequent distractor locations-that we observe only in same-, but not different-, dimension conditions-arise pre-selectively, in prolonged latencies of the very first saccade. This supports the idea that learnt suppression is implemented at a different level of priority computation with same-versus different-dimension distractors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marian Sauter
- Institut für Psychologie, Universität der Bundeswehr München, Munich, Germany; Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
| | - Nina M Hanning
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Hermann J Müller
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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15
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Statistical regularities cause attentional suppression with target-matching distractors. Atten Percept Psychophys 2020; 83:270-282. [PMID: 33251562 PMCID: PMC7875956 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-020-02206-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Visual search may be disrupted by the presentation of salient, but irrelevant stimuli. To reduce the impact of salient distractors, attention may suppress their processing below baseline level. While there are many studies on the attentional suppression of distractors with features distinct from the target (e.g., a color distractor with a shape target), there is little and inconsistent evidence for attentional suppression with distractors sharing the target feature. In this study, distractor and target were temporally separated in a cue–target paradigm, where the cue was shown briefly before the target display. With target-matching cues, RTs were shorter when the cue appeared at the target location (valid cues) compared with when it appeared at a nontarget location (invalid cues). To induce attentional suppression, we presented the cue more frequently at one out of four possible target positions. We found that invalid cues appearing at the high-frequency cue position produced less interference than invalid cues appearing at a low-frequency cue position. Crucially, target processing was also impaired at the high-frequency cue position, providing strong evidence for attentional suppression of the cued location. Overall, attentional suppression of the frequent distractor location could be established through feature-based attention, suggesting that feature-based attention may guide attentional suppression just as it guides attentional enhancement.
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Abstract
Models of attention posit that attentional priority is established by summing the saliency and relevancy signals from feature-selective maps. The dimension-weighting account further hypothesizes that information from each feature-selective map is weighted based on expectations of how informative each dimension will be. In the current studies, we investigated the question of whether attentional biases to the features of a conjunction target (color and orientation) differ when one dimension is expected to be more diagnostic of the target. In a series of color-orientation conjunction search tasks, observers saw an exact cue for the upcoming target, while the probability of distractors sharing a target feature in each dimension was manipulated. In one context, distractors were more likely to share the target color, and in another, distractors were more likely to share the target orientation. The results indicated that despite an overall bias toward color, attentional priority to each target feature was flexibly adjusted according to distractor context: RT and accuracy performance was better when the diagnostic feature was expected than unexpected. This occurred both when the distractor context was learned implicitly and explicitly. These results suggest that feature-based enhancement can occur selectively for the dimension expected to be most informative in distinguishing the target from distractors.
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Liesefeld HR, Liesefeld AM, Sauseng P, Jacob SN, Müller HJ. How visual working memory handles distraction: cognitive mechanisms and electrophysiological correlates. VISUAL COGNITION 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2020.1773594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heinrich R. Liesefeld
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
- Munich Center for Neurosciences – Brain & Mind, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Anna M. Liesefeld
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Paul Sauseng
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Simon N. Jacob
- Department of Neurosurgery, Technische Universität München, München, Germany
| | - Hermann J. Müller
- Department Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, München, Germany
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Becker SI, Martin A, Hamblin-Frohman Z. Target templates in singleton search vs. feature-based search modes. VISUAL COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2019.1676352] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aimee Martin
- School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
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Allenmark F, Zhang B, Liesefeld HR, Shi Z, Müller HJ. Probability cueing of singleton-distractor regions in visual search: the locus of spatial distractor suppression is determined by colour swapping. VISUAL COGNITION 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2019.1666953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fredrik Allenmark
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Bei Zhang
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | | | - Zhuanghua Shi
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Hermann J. Müller
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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