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Davis G. ATLAS: Mapping ATtention's Location And Size to probe five modes of serial and parallel search. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024:10.3758/s13414-024-02921-7. [PMID: 38982008 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02921-7] [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: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Conventional visual search tasks do not address attention directly and their core manipulation of 'set size' - the number of displayed items - introduces stimulus confounds that hinder interpretation. However, alternative approaches have not been widely adopted, perhaps reflecting their complexity, assumptions, or indirect attention-sampling. Here, a new procedure, the ATtention Location And Size ('ATLAS') task used probe displays to track attention's location, breadth, and guidance during search. Though most probe displays comprised six items, participants reported only the single item they judged themselves to have perceived most clearly - indexing the attention 'peak'. By sampling peaks across variable 'choice sets', the size and position of the attention window during search was profiled. These indices appeared to distinguish narrow- from broad attention, signalled attention to pairs of items where it arose and tracked evolving attention-guidance over time. ATLAS is designed to discriminate five key search modes: serial-unguided, sequential-guided, unguided attention to 'clumps' with local guidance, and broad parallel-attention with or without guidance. This initial investigation used only an example set of highly regular stimuli, but its broader potential should be investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Davis
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
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2
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Chapman AF, Störmer VS. Representational structures as a unifying framework for attention. Trends Cogn Sci 2024; 28:416-427. [PMID: 38280837 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2024.01.002] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Our visual system consciously processes only a subset of the incoming information. Selective attention allows us to prioritize relevant inputs, and can be allocated to features, locations, and objects. Recent advances in feature-based attention suggest that several selection principles are shared across these domains and that many differences between the effects of attention on perceptual processing can be explained by differences in the underlying representational structures. Moving forward, it can thus be useful to assess how attention changes the structure of the representational spaces over which it operates, which include the spatial organization, feature maps, and object-based coding in visual cortex. This will ultimately add to our understanding of how attention changes the flow of visual information processing more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angus F Chapman
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Viola S Störmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA.
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3
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Shen S, Sun Y, Lu J, Li C, Chen Q, Mo C, Fang F, Zhang X. Profiles of visual perceptual learning in feature space. iScience 2024; 27:109128. [PMID: 38384835 PMCID: PMC10879700 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Revised: 01/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual perceptual learning (VPL), experience-induced gains in discriminating visual features, has been studied extensively and intensively for many years, its profile in feature space, however, remains unclear. Here, human subjects were trained to perform either a simple low-level feature (grating orientation) or a complex high-level object (face view) discrimination task over a long-time course. During, immediately after, and one month after training, all results showed that in feature space VPL in grating orientation discrimination was a center-surround profile; VPL in face view discrimination, however, was a monotonic gradient profile. Importantly, these two profiles can be emerged by a deep convolutional neural network with a modified AlexNet consisted of 7 and 12 layers, respectively. Altogether, our study reveals for the first time a feature hierarchy-dependent profile of VPL in feature space, placing a necessary constraint on our understanding of the neural computation of VPL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiqi Shen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Yueling Sun
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Jiachen Lu
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Chu Li
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Qinglin Chen
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
| | - Ce Mo
- Department of Psychology, Sun-YatSen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China
| | - Fang Fang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Xilin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Brain, Cognition and Education Sciences, Ministry of Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
- School of Psychology, Center for Studies of Psychological Application, and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510631, China
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4
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Massironi A, Lazzari G, La Rocca S, Ronconi L, Daini R, Lega C. Transcranial magnetic stimulation on the right dorsal attention network modulates the center-surround profile of the attentional focus. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:bhae015. [PMID: 38300180 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 01/04/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Psychophysical observations indicate that the spatial profile of visuospatial attention includes a central enhancement around the attentional focus, encircled by a narrow zone of reduced excitability in the immediate surround. This inhibitory ring optimally amplifies relevant target information, likely stemming from top-down frontoparietal recurrent activity modulating early visual cortex activations. However, the mechanisms through which neural suppression gives rise to the surrounding attenuation and any potential hemispheric specialization remain unclear. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to evaluate the role of two regions of the dorsal attention network in the center-surround profile: the frontal eye field and the intraparietal sulcus. Participants performed a psychophysical task that mapped the entire spatial attentional profile, while transcranial magnetic stimulation was delivered either to intraparietal sulcus or frontal eye field on the right (Experiment 1) and left (Experiment 2) hemisphere. Results showed that stimulation of right frontal eye field and right intraparietal sulcus significantly changed the center-surround profile, by widening the inhibitory ring around the attentional focus. The stimulation on the left frontal eye field, but not left intraparietal sulcus, induced a general decrease in performance but did not alter the center-surround profile. Results point to a pivotal role of the right dorsal attention network in orchestrating inhibitory spatial mechanisms required to limit interference by surrounding distractors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Massironi
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgio Lazzari
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefania La Rocca
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Daini
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo 1, 20126 Milan, Italy
| | - Carlotta Lega
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Piazza Botta 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
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5
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Ma X, Abrams RA. Visual Distraction's "Silver Lining": Distractor Suppression Boosts Attention to Competing Stimuli. Psychol Sci 2023; 34:1336-1349. [PMID: 37883793 DOI: 10.1177/09567976231201853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Efficient search of the environment requires that people attend to the desired elements in a scene and ignore the undesired ones. Recent research has shown that this endeavor can benefit from the ability to proactively suppress distractors with known features, but little is known about the mechanisms that produce the suppression. We show here in five experiments (N = 120 college students) that, surprisingly, identification of a sought-for target is enhanced when it is grouped with a suppressed distractor compared with when it is in a different perceptual group. The results show that the suppressive mechanism not only downweights undesired elements but also enhances responses to task-relevant elements in competition for attention with the distractor, fine tuning the suppression. The findings extend the understanding of how people efficiently process their visual world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojin Ma
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
| | - Richard A Abrams
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis
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6
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Kutter EF, Dehnen G, Borger V, Surges R, Mormann F, Nieder A. Distinct neuronal representation of small and large numbers in the human medial temporal lobe. Nat Hum Behav 2023; 7:1998-2007. [PMID: 37783890 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-023-01709-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Whether small numerical quantities are represented by a special subitizing system that is distinct from a large-number estimation system has been debated for over a century. Here we show that two separate neural mechanisms underlie the representation of small and large numbers. We performed single neuron recordings in the medial temporal lobe of neurosurgical patients judging numbers. We found a boundary in neuronal coding around number 4 that correlates with the behavioural transition from subitizing to estimation. In the subitizing range, neurons showed superior tuning selectivity accompanied by suppression effects suggestive of surround inhibition as a selectivity-increasing mechanism. In contrast, tuning selectivity decreased with increasing numbers beyond 4, characterizing a ratio-dependent number estimation system. The two systems with the coding boundary separating them were also indicated using decoding and clustering analyses. The identified small-number subitizing system could be linked to attention and working memory that show comparable capacity limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther F Kutter
- Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Gert Dehnen
- Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Valeri Borger
- Department of Neurosurgery, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Rainer Surges
- Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany
| | - Florian Mormann
- Department of Epileptology, University of Bonn Medical Center, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
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7
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Vakhrushev R, Cheng FPH, Schacht A, Pooresmaeili A. Differential effects of intra-modal and cross-modal reward value on perception: ERP evidence. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287900. [PMID: 37390067 PMCID: PMC10313067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In natural environments objects comprise multiple features from the same or different sensory modalities but it is not known how perception of an object is affected by the value associations of its constituent parts. The present study compares intra- and cross-modal value-driven effects on behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of perception. Human participants first learned the reward associations of visual and auditory cues. Subsequently, they performed a visual discrimination task in the presence of previously rewarded, task-irrelevant visual or auditory cues (intra- and cross-modal cues, respectively). During the conditioning phase, when reward associations were learned and reward cues were the target of the task, high value stimuli of both modalities enhanced the electrophysiological correlates of sensory processing in posterior electrodes. During the post-conditioning phase, when reward delivery was halted and previously rewarded stimuli were task-irrelevant, cross-modal value significantly enhanced the behavioral measures of visual sensitivity, whereas intra-modal value produced only an insignificant decrement. Analysis of the simultaneously recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) of posterior electrodes revealed similar findings. We found an early (90-120 ms) suppression of ERPs evoked by high-value, intra-modal stimuli. Cross-modal stimuli led to a later value-driven modulation, with an enhancement of response positivity for high- compared to low-value stimuli starting at the N1 window (180-250 ms) and extending to the P3 (300-600 ms) responses. These results indicate that sensory processing of a compound stimulus comprising a visual target and task-irrelevant visual or auditory cues is modulated by the reward value of both sensory modalities, but such modulations rely on distinct underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Vakhrushev
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Felicia Pei-Hsin Cheng
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Anne Schacht
- Affective Neuroscience and Psychophysiology Laboratory, Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology, Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Arezoo Pooresmaeili
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
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8
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Faßbender K, Baumert PM, Wintergerst MWM, Terheyden JH, Aslan B, M Harmening W, Ettinger U. GABAergic Involvement in Selective Attention. J Cogn Neurosci 2023; 35:976-989. [PMID: 36976900 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Animals need to cope with abundant sensory information, and one strategy is to selectively direct attention to only the most relevant part of the environment. Although the cortical networks of selective attention have been studied extensively, its underlying neurotransmitter systems, especially the role of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), remain less well understood. Increased GABAA receptor activity because of administration of benzodiazepines such as lorazepam is known to slow reactions in cognitive tasks. However, there is limited knowledge about GABAergic involvement in selective attention. Particularly, it is unknown whether increased GABAA receptor activity slows the build-up of selectivity or generally widens attentional focus. To address this question, participants (n = 29) received 1 mg lorazepam and placebo (within-subjects, double-blind) and performed an extended version of the flanker task. The spatial distribution of selective attention was studied by systematically manipulating number and position of incongruent flankers; the temporal build-up was characterized using delta plots. An online task version was presented to an independent, unmedicated sample (n = 25) to verify task effects. Under placebo and in the unmedicated sample, only the number of incongruent flankers, but not their position, influenced RTs. Incongruent flankers impaired RTs more strongly under lorazepam than placebo, especially when adjacent to the target. Delta plot analyses of RT showed that this effect persisted even when participants reacted slowly, indicating that lorazepam-induced impairments in selective attention do not result from simply slowed down build-up of selectivity. Instead, our data indicate that increased GABAA receptor activity widens the attentional focus.
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9
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Chapman AF, Störmer VS. Efficient tuning of attention to narrow and broad ranges of task-relevant feature values. VISUAL COGNITION 2023. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2023.2192993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
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10
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Bartsch MV, Merkel C, Strumpf H, Schoenfeld MA, Tsotsos JK, Hopf JM. A cortical zoom-in operation underlies covert shifts of visual spatial attention. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade7996. [PMID: 36888705 PMCID: PMC9995033 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7996] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Shifting the focus of attention without moving the eyes poses challenges for signal coding in visual cortex in terms of spatial resolution, signal routing, and cross-talk. Little is known how these problems are solved during focus shifts. Here, we analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic of neuromagnetic activity in human visual cortex as a function of the size and number of focus shifts in visual search. We find that large shifts elicit activity modulations progressing from highest (IT) through mid-level (V4) to lowest hierarchical levels (V1). Smaller shifts cause those modulations to start at lower levels in the hierarchy. Successive shifts involve repeated backward progressions through the hierarchy. We conclude that covert focus shifts arise from a cortical coarse-to-fine process progressing from retinotopic areas with larger toward areas with smaller receptive fields. This process localizes the target and increases the spatial resolution of selection, which resolves the above issues of cortical coding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mandy V. Bartsch
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Christian Merkel
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | - Mircea A. Schoenfeld
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
- Kliniken Schmieder, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - John K. Tsotsos
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Innovation in Computing at Lassonde, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Canada
| | - Jens-Max Hopf
- Leibniz-Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
- Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
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11
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Expansion and compression of space within and beyond the boundaries of an object. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:387-403. [PMID: 36577914 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02630-z] [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: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Objects illusorily distort our perception of space, as indexed by perceived distances between two reference points placed within an object compared with the perceived distances between two dots placed in a ground region. This paper examines several novel aspects of such distortions across three experiments that employed a staircase procedure to determine the point of subjective equivalence between dot distances for one pair of dots within or near an object, compared to dots that were placed on a ground region. We replicate and expand upon prior findings that showed that dots within an object's boundaries are perceived as further apart than they are - an expansion effect. We also verify and quantify a subjective experience that was previously unreported - dots positioned within the object but near or on the boundaries, as well as dots positioned beyond the extent of an object's boundaries, are perceived as closer together (compressed) versus ground-region dots. We additionally demonstrate that expansion and compression extend into space laterally adjacent to an object. These findings demonstrate novel properties of the impact of objects on the perception of spatial relationships, and place important constraints on potential mechanisms that could explain object-based warping.
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Ronconi L, Florio V, Bronzoni S, Salvetti B, Raponi A, Giupponi G, Conca A, Basso D. Wider and Stronger Inhibitory Ring of the Attentional Focus in Schizophrenia. Brain Sci 2023; 13:brainsci13020211. [PMID: 36831754 PMCID: PMC9954763 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci13020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 01/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Anomalies of attentional selection have been repeatedly described in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. However, a precise analysis of their ability to inhibit irrelevant visual information during attentional selection is not documented. Recent behavioral as well as neurophysiological and computational evidence showed that attentional search among different competing stimuli elicits an area of suppression in the immediate surrounding of the attentional focus. In the present study, the strength and spatial extension of this surround suppression were tested in individuals with schizophrenia and neurotypical controls. Participants were asked to report the orientation of a visual "pop-out" target, which appeared in different positions within a peripheral array of non-target stimuli. In half of the trials, after the target appeared, a probe circle circumscribed a non-target stimulus at various target-to-probe distances; in this case, participants were asked to report the probe orientation instead. Results suggest that, as compared to neurotypical controls, individuals with schizophrenia showed stronger and spatially more extended filtering of visual information in the areas surrounding their attentional focus. This increased filtering of visual information outside the focus of attention might potentially hamper their ability to integrate different elements into coherent percepts and influence higher order behavioral, affective, and cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | - Vincenzo Florio
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Silvia Bronzoni
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Beatrice Salvetti
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Agnese Raponi
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | | | - Andreas Conca
- Psychiatric Service of the Health District of Bozen, 39100 Bozen, Italy
| | - Demis Basso
- CESLab, Faculty of Education, Free University of Bozen, 39042 Brixen, Italy
- Centro de Investigación en Neuropsicologia y Neurociencias Cognitivas (CINPSI Neurocog), Universidad Católica del Maule, Av. San Miguel, Talca 3480094, Chile
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13
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Wark DM. 49words: An active alert hypnosis protocol for stress regulation. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL HYPNOSIS 2023; 65:327-336. [PMID: 36701533 DOI: 10.1080/00029157.2023.2166807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
People, worldwide, are in dire need of stress regulation. This paper presents a six step alert self-hypnosis protocol that individuals can use to regulate a wide variety of stresses. A brief anonymized case reports from a diverse range of clients follows the protocol's six step outline. The step-by-step algorithm can be modified to address the unique circumstances of each client. Finally, summaries of neuroscience research provide possible explanations for the observed efficacy of the approach.
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14
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The ERP correlates of color-based center-surround inhibition in working memory. Int J Psychophysiol 2022; 181:160-169. [PMID: 36165962 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2022.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The color-based center-surround inhibition (CSI) in working memory (WM) refers to that remembering a color inhibits the memory of similar colors but not of distinct colors. This study aimed to investigate the neural activity of color-based CSI in WM. Two WM items (distance 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 40°, 50°, or 60° in color space) were displayed sequentially, then one of them was retrieved to compare with a later probe. Behavioral results revealed that participants showed longer RTs for distances 20° and 30° than distances 0° and 40°, suggesting a CSI between similar items. ERP results revealed that: 1) WM item-induced late positive component (LPC) was more positive for distance 30° than the other distances, suggesting an enhanced resource allocation process for encoding similar items; 2) Cue-induced LPC was more positive for distances 20° and 30° than distances 0° and 60°, suggesting a greater difficulty for retrieving similar items; Cue-induced contingent negative variation was less negative for distance 20° than distances 40°, 50°, and 60°, suggesting a reduced response preparation process during retrieving similar items; 3) Probe-induced LPC was more positive for distances 20° and 30° than distances 50° and 60°, suggesting a greater effort for comparing probe with one item retrieved from two similar items. These results revealed a colored-based CSI during WM encoding and retrieval processes. An enhanced top-down control might be required to resolve the greater interference between similar items than identical or distinct items conditions.
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15
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When We Study the Ability to Attend, What Exactly Are We Trying to Understand? J Imaging 2022; 8:jimaging8080212. [PMID: 36005455 PMCID: PMC9410045 DOI: 10.3390/jimaging8080212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
When we study the human ability to attend, what exactly do we seek to understand? It is not clear what the answer might be to this question. There is still so much to know, while acknowledging the tremendous progress of past decades of research. It is as if each new study adds a tile to the mosaic that, when viewed from a distance, we hope will reveal the big picture of attention. However, there is no map as to how each tile might be placed nor any guide as to what the overall picture might be. It is like digging up bits of mosaic tile at an ancient archeological site with no key as to where to look and then not only having to decide which picture it belongs to but also where exactly in that puzzle it should be placed. I argue that, although the unearthing of puzzle pieces is very important, so is their placement, but this seems much less emphasized. We have mostly unearthed a treasure trove of puzzle pieces but they are all waiting for cleaning and reassembly. It is an activity that is scientifically far riskier, but with great risk comes a greater reward. Here, I will look into two areas of broad agreement, specifically regarding visual attention, and dig deeper into their more nuanced meanings, in the hope of sketching a starting point for the guide to the attention mosaic. The goal is to situate visual attention as a purely computational problem and not as a data explanation task; it may become easier to place the puzzle pieces once you understand why they exist in the first place.
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16
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Rodríguez-Herreros B, Amengual JL, Vázquez-Anguiano JL, Ionta S, Miniussi C, Cunillera T. Early response competition over the motor cortex underlies proactive control of error correction. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9232. [PMID: 35654955 PMCID: PMC9163130 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-12928-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Response inhibition is a fundamental brain function that must be flexible enough to incorporate proactive goal-directed demands, along with reactive, automatic and well consolidated behaviors. However, whether proactive inhibitory processes can be explained by response competition, rather than by active top-down inhibitory control, remains still unclear. Using a modified version of the Eriksen flanker task, we examined the behavioral and electrophysiological correlates elicited by manipulating the degree of inhibitory control in a task that involved the fast amendment of errors. We observed that restraining or encouraging the correction of errors did not affect the behavioral and neural correlates associated to reactive inhibition. We rather found that an early, sustained and bilateral activation, of both the correct and the incorrect response, was required for an effective proactive inhibitory control. Selective unilateral patterns of response preparation were instead associated with defective response suppression. Our results provide behavioral and electrophysiological evidence of a simultaneous dual pre-activation of two motor commands, likely underlying a global operating mechanism suggesting competition or lateral inhibition to govern the amendment of errors. These findings are consistent with the response inhibitory processes already observed in speed-accuracy tradeoff studies, and hint at a decisive role of early response competition to determine the success of multiple-choice action selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Borja Rodríguez-Herreros
- Service des Troubles du Spectre de l'Autisme et Apparentés, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, 1011, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Sensory-Motor Lab, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne/Fondation Asile des Aveugles, 1002, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Julià L Amengual
- Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, CNRS UMR 5229, Université Claude Bernard, 69675, Bron, France
| | | | - Silvio Ionta
- Sensory-Motor Lab, Department of Ophthalmology, University of Lausanne/Fondation Asile des Aveugles, 1002, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Carlo Miniussi
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, TN, Italy
| | - Toni Cunillera
- Department of Cognition, Development and Educational Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08035, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institute of Neurosciences (UBNeuro), University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
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17
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Wöstmann M, Störmer VS, Obleser J, Addleman DA, Andersen SK, Gaspelin N, Geng JJ, Luck SJ, Noonan MP, Slagter HA, Theeuwes J. Ten simple rules to study distractor suppression. Prog Neurobiol 2022. [PMID: 35427732 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Distractor suppression refers to the ability to filter out distracting and task-irrelevant information. Distractor suppression is essential for survival and considered a key aspect of selective attention. Despite the recent and rapidly evolving literature on distractor suppression, we still know little about how the brain suppresses distracting information. What limits progress is that we lack mutually agreed upon principles of how to study the neural basis of distractor suppression and its manifestation in behavior. Here, we offer ten simple rules that we believe are fundamental when investigating distractor suppression. We provide guidelines on how to design conclusive experiments on distractor suppression (Rules 1-3), discuss different types of distractor suppression that need to be distinguished (Rules 4-6), and provide an overview of models of distractor suppression and considerations of how to evaluate distractor suppression statistically (Rules 7-10). Together, these rules provide a concise and comprehensive synopsis of promising advances in the field of distractor suppression. Following these rules will propel research on distractor suppression in important ways, not only by highlighting prominent issues to both new and more advanced researchers in the field, but also by facilitating communication between sub-disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Wöstmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Viola S Störmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, USA.
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Søren K Andersen
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | - Nicholas Gaspelin
- Department of Psychology and Department of Integrative Neuroscience, Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA
| | - Joy J Geng
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Steven J Luck
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Heleen A Slagter
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Theeuwes
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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18
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Wöstmann M, Störmer VS, Obleser J, Addleman DA, Andersen SK, Gaspelin N, Geng JJ, Luck SJ, Noonan MP, Slagter HA, Theeuwes J. Ten simple rules to study distractor suppression. Prog Neurobiol 2022; 213:102269. [PMID: 35427732 PMCID: PMC9069241 DOI: 10.1016/j.pneurobio.2022.102269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Distractor suppression refers to the ability to filter out distracting and task-irrelevant information. Distractor suppression is essential for survival and considered a key aspect of selective attention. Despite the recent and rapidly evolving literature on distractor suppression, we still know little about how the brain suppresses distracting information. What limits progress is that we lack mutually agreed upon principles of how to study the neural basis of distractor suppression and its manifestation in behavior. Here, we offer ten simple rules that we believe are fundamental when investigating distractor suppression. We provide guidelines on how to design conclusive experiments on distractor suppression (Rules 1–3), discuss different types of distractor suppression that need to be distinguished (Rules 4–6), and provide an overview of models of distractor suppression and considerations of how to evaluate distractor suppression statistically (Rules 7–10). Together, these rules provide a concise and comprehensive synopsis of promising advances in the field of distractor suppression. Following these rules will propel research on distractor suppression in important ways, not only by highlighting prominent issues to both new and more advanced researchers in the field, but also by facilitating communication between sub-disciplines. Distractor suppression is the ability to filter out irrelevant information. At present, we know little about how the brain suppresses distraction. We offer ten rules that are fundamental when investigating distractor suppression. Following the rules will propel research and foster interaction between disciplines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Wöstmann
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany.
| | - Viola S Störmer
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, USA.
| | - Jonas Obleser
- Department of Psychology, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany; Center of Brain, Behavior and Metabolism (CBBM), University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | | | - Søren K Andersen
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK; Department of Psychology, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
| | - Nicholas Gaspelin
- Department of Psychology and Department of Integrative Neuroscience, Binghamton University, State University of New York, USA
| | - Joy J Geng
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
| | - Steven J Luck
- Center for Mind and Brain and Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, USA
| | | | - Heleen A Slagter
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Theeuwes
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
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19
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Rosenblum L, Grewe E, Churan J, Bremmer F. Influence of Tactile Flow on Visual Heading Perception. Multisens Res 2022; 35:291-308. [PMID: 35263712 DOI: 10.1163/22134808-bja10071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The integration of information from different sensory modalities is crucial for successful navigation through an environment. Among others, self-motion induces distinct optic flow patterns on the retina, vestibular signals and tactile flow, which contribute to determine traveled distance (path integration) or movement direction (heading). While the processing of combined visual-vestibular information is subject to a growing body of literature, the processing of visuo-tactile signals in the context of self-motion has received comparatively little attention. Here, we investigated whether visual heading perception is influenced by behaviorally irrelevant tactile flow. In the visual modality, we simulated an observer's self-motion across a horizontal ground plane (optic flow). Tactile self-motion stimuli were delivered by air flow from head-mounted nozzles (tactile flow). In blocks of trials, we presented only visual or tactile stimuli and subjects had to report their perceived heading. In another block of trials, tactile and visual stimuli were presented simultaneously, with the tactile flow within ±40° of the visual heading (bimodal condition). Here, importantly, participants had to report their perceived visual heading. Perceived self-motion direction in all conditions revealed a centripetal bias, i.e., heading directions were perceived as compressed toward straight ahead. In the bimodal condition, we found a small but systematic influence of task-irrelevant tactile flow on visually perceived headings as function of their directional offset. We conclude that tactile flow is more tightly linked to self-motion perception than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Rosenblum
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043 Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Elisa Grewe
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Jan Churan
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043 Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, 35032 Marburg, Germany
| | - Frank Bremmer
- Department of Neurophysics, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8a, 35043 Marburg, Germany.,Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Philipps-Universität Marburg and Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, 35032 Marburg, Germany
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20
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John AR, Singh AK, Do TTN, Eidels A, Nalivaiko E, Gavgani AM, Brown S, Bennett M, Lal S, Simpson AM, Gustin SM, Double K, Walker FR, Kleitman S, Morley J, Lin CT. Unravelling the Physiological Correlates of Mental Workload Variations in Tracking and Collision Prediction Tasks. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022; 30:770-781. [PMID: 35259108 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3157446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Modern work environments have extensive interactions with technology and greater cognitive complexity of the tasks, which results in human operators experiencing increased mental workload. Air traffic control operators routinely work in such complex environments, and we designed tracking and collision prediction tasks to emulate their elementary tasks. The physiological response to the workload variations in these tasks was elucidated to untangle the impact of workload variations experienced by operators. Electroencephalogram (EEG), eye activity, and heart rate variability (HRV) data were recorded from 24 participants performing tracking and collision prediction tasks with three levels of difficulty. Our findings indicate that variations in task load in both these tasks are sensitively reflected in EEG, eye activity and HRV data. Multiple regression results also show that operators' performance in both tasks can be predicted using the corresponding EEG, eye activity and HRV data. The results also demonstrate that the brain dynamics during each of these tasks can be estimated from the corresponding eye activity, HRV and performance data. Furthermore, the markedly distinct neurometrics of workload variations in the tracking and collision prediction tasks indicate that neurometrics can provide insights on the type of mental workload. These findings have applicability to the design of future mental workload adaptive systems that integrate neurometrics in deciding not just "when" but also "what" to adapt. Our study provides compelling evidence in the viability of developing intelligent closed-loop mental workload adaptive systems that ensure efficiency and safety in complex work environments.
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21
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van Zoest W, Huber-Huber C, Weaver MD, Hickey C. Strategic Distractor Suppression Improves Selective Control in Human Vision. J Neurosci 2021; 41:7120-7135. [PMID: 34244360 PMCID: PMC8372027 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0553-21.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2021] [Revised: 05/28/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Our visual environment is complicated, and our cognitive capacity is limited. As a result, we must strategically ignore some stimuli to prioritize others. Common sense suggests that foreknowledge of distractor characteristics, like location or color, might help us ignore these objects. But empirical studies have provided mixed evidence, often showing that knowing about a distractor before it appears counterintuitively leads to its attentional selection. What has looked like strategic distractor suppression in the past is now commonly explained as a product of prior experience and implicit statistical learning, and the long-standing notion the distractor suppression is reflected in α band oscillatory brain activity has been challenged by results appearing to link α to target resolution. Can we strategically, proactively suppress distractors? And, if so, does this involve α? Here, we use the concurrent recording of human EEG and eye movements in optimized experimental designs to identify behavior and brain activity associated with proactive distractor suppression. Results from three experiments show that knowing about distractors before they appear causes a reduction in electrophysiological indices of covert attentional selection of these objects and a reduction in the overt deployment of the eyes to the location of the objects. This control is established before the distractor appears and is predicted by the power of cue-elicited α activity over the visual cortex. Foreknowledge of distractor characteristics therefore leads to improved selective control, and α oscillations in visual cortex reflect the implementation of this strategic, proactive mechanism.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To behave adaptively and achieve goals we often need to ignore visual distraction. Is it easier to ignore distracting objects when we know more about them? We recorded eye movements and electrical brain activity to determine whether foreknowledge of distractor characteristics can be used to limit processing of these objects. Results show that knowing the location or color of a distractor stops us from attentionally selecting it. A neural signature of this inhibition emerges in oscillatory alpha band brain activity, and when this signal is strong, selective processing of the distractor decreases. Knowing about the characteristics of task-irrelevant distractors therefore increases our ability to focus on task-relevant information, in this way gating information processing in the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wieske van Zoest
- School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, England
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Trento, Italy
| | - Christoph Huber-Huber
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Trento, Italy
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Matthew D Weaver
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Trento, Italy
| | - Clayton Hickey
- School of Psychology and Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, England
- Centre for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, 38068 Trento, Italy
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22
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Souto D, Kerzel D. Visual selective attention and the control of tracking eye movements: a critical review. J Neurophysiol 2021; 125:1552-1576. [DOI: 10.1152/jn.00145.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
People’s eyes are directed at objects of interest with the aim of acquiring visual information. However, processing this information is constrained in capacity, requiring task-driven and salience-driven attentional mechanisms to select few among the many available objects. A wealth of behavioral and neurophysiological evidence has demonstrated that visual selection and the motor selection of saccade targets rely on shared mechanisms. This coupling supports the premotor theory of visual attention put forth more than 30 years ago, postulating visual selection as a necessary stage in motor selection. In this review, we examine to which extent the coupling of visual and motor selection observed with saccades is replicated during ocular tracking. Ocular tracking combines catch-up saccades and smooth pursuit to foveate a moving object. We find evidence that ocular tracking requires visual selection of the speed and direction of the moving target, but the position of the motion signal may not coincide with the position of the pursuit target. Further, visual and motor selection can be spatially decoupled when pursuit is initiated (open-loop pursuit). We propose that a main function of coupled visual and motor selection is to serve the coordination of catch-up saccades and pursuit eye movements. A simple race-to-threshold model is proposed to explain the variable coupling of visual selection during pursuit, catch-up and regular saccades, while generating testable predictions. We discuss pending issues, such as disentangling visual selection from preattentive visual processing and response selection, and the pinpointing of visual selection mechanisms, which have begun to be addressed in the neurophysiological literature.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Souto
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology and Behaviour, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Dirk Kerzel
- Faculté de Psychologie et des Sciences de l’Education, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
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23
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Wang Y, Yan J, Yin Z, Ren S, Dong M, Zheng C, Zhang W, Liang J. How Native Background Affects Human Performance in Real-World Visual Object Detection: An Event-Related Potential Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:665084. [PMID: 33994938 PMCID: PMC8119748 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.665084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual processing refers to the process of perceiving, analyzing, synthesizing, manipulating, transforming, and thinking of visual objects. It is modulated by both stimulus-driven and goal-directed factors and manifested in neural activities that extend from visual cortex to high-level cognitive areas. Extensive body of studies have investigated the neural mechanisms of visual object processing using synthetic or curated visual stimuli. However, synthetic or curated images generally do not accurately reflect the semantic links between objects and their backgrounds, and previous studies have not provided answers to the question of how the native background affects visual target detection. The current study bridged this gap by constructing a stimulus set of natural scenes with two levels of complexity and modulating participants' attention to actively or passively attend to the background contents. Behaviorally, the decision time was elongated when the background was complex or when the participants' attention was distracted from the detection task, and the object detection accuracy was decreased when the background was complex. The results of event-related potentials (ERP) analysis explicated the effects of scene complexity and attentional state on the brain responses in occipital and centro-parietal areas, which were suggested to be associated with varied attentional cueing and sensory evidence accumulation effects in different experimental conditions. Our results implied that efficient visual processing of real-world objects may involve a competition process between context and distractors that co-exist in the native background, and extensive attentional cues and fine-grained but semantically irrelevant scene information were perhaps detrimental to real-world object detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Jianpu Yan
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Zhongliang Yin
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Shenghan Ren
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Minghao Dong
- School of Life Science and Technology, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
| | - Changli Zheng
- Southwest China Research Institute of Electronic Equipment, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Southwest China Research Institute of Electronic Equipment, Chengdu, China
| | - Jimin Liang
- School of Electronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an, China
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24
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Wei P, Ji L. Reward expectation modulates N2pc for target selection: Electrophysiological evidence. Psychophysiology 2021; 58:e13837. [PMID: 33931867 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
In an electrophysiological experiment, we investigated the effect of reward expectation on the localized attentional interference effect using a cue-target paradigm, while event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. A cue indicating the reward condition of each trial (incentive vs. non-incentive) was followed by the presentation of a search array containing two target items. Participants were asked to decide whether the two shape singletons (two triangles, two rectangles, or one triangle and one rectangle) among a set of circles were the same shape. Moreover, we manipulated the distance between the two targets to be adjacent to each other (Separation 1) or further apart (Separation 3 and Separation 5). Behavioral results revealed a larger reward facilitation effect for the larger target separation conditions. The N2pc component locked to the target display exhibited an interaction between reward expectation and the distance between the two targets. For non-incentive trials, the N2pc amplitude increased as the separation between the two targets increased; however, for incentive trials, the N2pc showed comparable amplitudes in the different target separation conditions. These results indicate that reward expectation regulated attentional focus to better resolve the competition between representation and selection of the two targets for acquiring possible reward outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Liyan Ji
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.,School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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25
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Lee J, Jung K, Han SW. Serial, self-terminating search can be distinguished from others: Evidence from multi-target search data. Cognition 2021; 212:104736. [PMID: 33887651 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2021.104736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 04/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
How do people find a target among multiple stimuli? The process of searching for a target among distractors has been a fundamental issue in human perception and cognition, evoking raging debates. Some researchers argued that search should be carried out by serially allocating focal attention to each item until the target is found. Others claimed that multiple stimuli, sharing a finite amount of processing resource, could be processed in parallel. This strict serial/parallel dichotomy in visual search has been challenged and many recent theories suggest that visual search tasks involve both serial and parallel processes. However, some search tasks should primarily depend on serial processing, while others would rely upon parallel processing to a greater extent. Here, by simple innovation of an experimental paradigm, we were able to identify a specific behavioral pattern associated with serial, self-terminating search and clarified which tasks depend on serial processing to a greater extent than others. Using this paradigm, we provide insights regarding under which condition the search becomes more serial or parallel. We also discuss several recent models of visual search that are capable of accommodating these findings and reconciling the extant controversy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jongmin Lee
- Department of Psychology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Koeun Jung
- Institute of Basic Science, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
| | - Suk Won Han
- Department of Psychology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon, Republic of Korea.
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26
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Abstract
Selective attention affords scrutinizing items in our environment. However, attentional selection changes over time and across space. Empirically, repetition of visual search conditions changes attentional processing. Priming of pop-out is a vivid example. Repeatedly searching for the same pop-out search feature is accomplished with faster response times and fewer errors. We review the psychophysical background of priming of pop-out, focusing on the hypothesis that it arises through changes in visual selective attention. We also describe research done with macaque monkeys to understand the neural mechanisms supporting visual selective attention and priming of pop-out, and survey research on priming of pop-out using noninvasive brain measures with humans. We conclude by hypothesizing three alternative neural mechanisms and highlighting open questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Westerberg
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA.
| | - Jeffrey D Schall
- Department of Psychology, Center for Integrative and Cognitive Neuroscience, Vanderbilt Vision Research Center, College of Arts and Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 111 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
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27
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Individual differences in visual attention: A short, reliable, open-source, and multilingual test of multiple object tracking in PsychoPy. Behav Res Methods 2021; 52:2556-2566. [PMID: 32495028 DOI: 10.3758/s13428-020-01413-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Individual differences in attentional abilities provide an interesting approach in studying visual attention as well as the relation of attention to other psychometric measures. However, recent research has demonstrated that many tasks from experimental research are not suitable for individual differences research, as they fail to capture these differences reliably. Here, we provide a test for individual differences in visual attention which relies on the multiple object tracking task (MOT). This test captures individual differences reliably in 6 to 15 min. Within the task, the participants have to maintain a set of targets (among identical distractors) across an interval of object motion. It captures the efficiency of attentional deployment. Importantly, this test was explicitly designed and tested for reliability under conditions that match those of most laboratory research (restricted sample of students, approximately n = 50). The test is free to use and runs fully under open-source software. In order to facilitate the application of the test, we have translated it into 16 common languages (Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish). The test can be downloaded at https://osf.io/qy6nb/ . We hope that this MOT test supports researchers whose field of study requires capturing individual differences in visual attention reliably.
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28
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Spatial resolution and object segmentation efficiency constrain grouping effects in attentive tracking. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-020-01277-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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29
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The extent of center-surround inhibition for colored items in working memory. Mem Cognit 2020; 49:733-746. [PMID: 33196981 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-020-01116-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Remembering a color suppresses the representations of similar colors, but not of distinct colors, producing a center-surround inhibition (CSI) to resolve the competition between similar colors. In this study, three probe experiments were conducted to investigate the extent of CSI for colored items in working memory (WM). In Experiments 1 and 2, two WM items (distance 0°, 20°, 40°, or 60° in color space) were presented sequentially, one of which was cued to compare with the probe (matched or non-matched). The probe distance between the non-matched probe (NP) and cued WM item was 30° in Experiment 1 and 30°, 60°, or 90° in Experiment 2. Results for matched probe (MP) revealed that two WM items might produce a maximal CSI at distance 20°, and fall outside each other's inhibitory surround at distance 40°. However, the CSI was not found in the NP conditions (i.e., distance 30°, 60°, or 90°) in both Experiments 1 and 2, suggesting that the NP might be unsuitable for investigating the CSI in WM. In Experiment 3, participants were asked to discriminate which WM item was matched with the probe (no NP conditions). RTs were slowest at distance 20°, but were almost equal across distance 30°, 40°, 50°, or 60°. These results demonstrated that two WM items might produce a maximal CSI at distance 20°, and begin to fall outside each other's inhibitory surround at distance 30°.
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30
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Wilson R, Thomas A, Mayhew SD. Spatially congruent negative BOLD responses to different stimuli do not summate in visual cortex. Neuroimage 2020; 218:116891. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 04/23/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
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31
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Baruch O, Goldfarb L. Mexican Hat Modulation of Visual Acuity Following an Exogenous Cue. Front Psychol 2020; 11:854. [PMID: 32499738 PMCID: PMC7242741 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00854] [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: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Classical models of exogenous attention suggest that attentional enhancement at the focus of attention degrades gradually with distance from the attended location. On the other hand, the Attentional Attraction Field (AAF) model (Baruch and Yeshurun, 2014) suggests that the shift of receptive fields toward the attended location, reported by several physiological studies, leads to a decreased density of RFs at the attentional surrounds and hence the model predicts that the modulation of performance by spatial attention may have the shape of a Mexican Hat. Motivated by these theories, this study presents behavioral evidence in support of a Mexican Hat shaped modulation in exogenous spatial tasks that appears only at short latencies. In two experiments participants had to decide the location of a small gap in a target circle that was preceded by a non-informative attention capturing cue. The distance between cue and target and the latency between their onsets were varied. At short SOAs the performance curves were cubic and only at longer SOAs- this trend turned linear. Our results suggest that a rapid Mexican Hat modulation is an inherent property of the mechanism underlying exogenous attention and that a monotonically degrading trend, such as advocated by classical models, develops only at later stages of processing. The involvements of bottom-up processes such as the attraction of RFs to the focus of attention are further discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orit Baruch
- The Institute for Information Processing and Decision Making (IIPDM), University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Liat Goldfarb
- E. J. Safra Brain Research Center for the Study of Learning Disabilities, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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32
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Luo C, Ding N. Visual target detection in a distracting background relies on neural encoding of both visual targets and background. Neuroimage 2020; 216:116870. [PMID: 32339773 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.116870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2019] [Revised: 04/11/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to detect visual targets in complex background varies across individuals and are affected by factors such as stimulus saliency and top-down attention. Here, we investigated how the saliency of visual background (naturalistic cartoon video vs. blank screen) and top-down attention (single vs. dual tasks) separately affect individual ability to detect visual targets. Behaviorally, we found that target detection accuracy decreased and reaction time elongated when the background was salient or during dual tasking. The EEG response to visual background was recorded using a novel stimulus tagging technique. This response was strongest in occipital electrodes and was sensitive to background saliency but not dual tasking. In contrast, the event-related potential (ERP) evoked by the visual target was strongest in central electrodes, and was affected by both background saliency and dual tasking. With a cartoon background, the EEG responses to visual targets, presented in the central visual field, and the EEG responses to peripheral visual background could both predict individual target detection performance. When these two responses were combined, better prediction was achieved. These results suggest that neural processing of visual targets and background jointly contribute to individual visual target detection performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng Luo
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
| | - Nai Ding
- Key Laboratory for Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Biomedical Engineering and Instrument Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China; Research Center for Advanced Artificial Intelligence Theory, Zhejiang Lab, Hangzhou, 311121, China.
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33
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Zhang E, Li W. Improved fidelity of orientation perception: a learning effect dissociable from enhanced discriminability. Sci Rep 2020; 10:6572. [PMID: 32313001 PMCID: PMC7171124 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-62882-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Visual perception can be influenced by stimulus context, selective attention, and prior experience. Many previous studies have shown complex interactions among these influencing factors, but it remains unclear whether context-induced illusions could be reduced by perceptual training and whether such a change in perceptual fidelity is linked to improved perceptual discriminability. To address this question, we introduced a context-induced tilt illusion into an orientation discrimination training paradigm. This resulted in parallel and long-term improvements in the discriminability and fidelity of orientation perception. The improved discriminability was specific to the task-relevant target stimulus but nonspecific to the task-irrelevant context. By contrast, the improved perceptual fidelity was specific to the task-irrelevant contextual stimulus that induced the illusion, but not specific to the task-relevant target stimulus or task performed on one of its features. These results indicate two dissociable learning effects associated with the same training procedure. Such a dissociation was further supported by the observation that the sizes of the two learning effects were uncorrelated across the subjects. Our findings suggest two parallel learning processes: a task-dependent process giving rise to enhanced discriminability for the task-relevant stimulus attribute, and a context-dependent process leading to improved perceptual fidelity for the attended stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- En Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
| | - Wu Li
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning & IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
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34
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Wodniecka Z, Szewczyk J, Kałamała P, Mandera P, Durlik J. When a second language hits a native language. What ERPs (do and do not) tell us about language retrieval difficulty in bilingual language production. Neuropsychologia 2020; 141:107390. [PMID: 32057934 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2020.107390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Revised: 09/01/2019] [Accepted: 02/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The accumulating evidence suggests that prior usage of a second language (L2) leads to processing costs on the subsequent production of a native language (L1). However, it is unclear what mechanism underlies this effect. It has been proposed that the L1 cost reflects inhibition of L1 representation acting during L1 production; however, previous studies exploring this issue were inconclusive. It is also unsettled whether the mechanism operates on the whole-language level or is restricted to translation equivalents in the two languages. We report a study that allowed us to address both issues behaviorally with the use of ERPs while focusing on the consequences of using L2 on the production of L1. In our experiment, native speakers of Polish (L1) and learners of English (L2) named a set of pictures in L1 following a set of pictures in either L1 or L2. Half of the pictures were repeated from the preceding block and half were new; this enabled dissociation of the effects on the level of the whole language from those specific to individual lexical items. Our results are consistent with the notion that language after-effects operate at a whole-language level. Behaviorally, we observed a clear processing cost on the whole-language level and a small facilitation on the item-specific level. The whole-language effect was accompanied by an enhanced, fronto-centrally distributed negativity in the 250-350 ms time-window which we identified as the N300 (in contrast to previous research, which probably misidentified the effect as the N2), a component that presumably reflects retrieval difficulty of relevant language representations during picture naming. As such, unlike previous studies that reported N2 for naming pictures in L1 after L2 use, we propose that the reported ERPs (N300) indicate that prior usage of L2 hampers lexical access to names in L1. Based on the literature, the after-effects could be caused by L1 inhibition and/or L2 interference, but the ERPs so far have not been informative about the causal mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zofia Wodniecka
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Jakub Szewczyk
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
| | - Patrycja Kałamała
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Paweł Mandera
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
| | - Joanna Durlik
- Psychology of Language and Bilingualism Lab, Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland
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35
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Stewart EEM, Verghese P, Ma-Wyatt A. The spatial and temporal properties of attentional selectivity for saccades and reaches. J Vis 2020; 19:12. [PMID: 31434108 PMCID: PMC6707227 DOI: 10.1167/19.9.12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The preparation and execution of saccades and goal-directed movements elicits an accompanying shift in attention at the locus of the impending movement. However, some key aspects of the spatiotemporal profile of this attentional shift between eye and hand movements are not resolved. While there is evidence that attention is improved at the target location when making a reach, it is not clear how attention shifts over space and time around the movement target as a saccade and a reach are made to that target. Determining this spread of attention is an important aspect in understanding how attentional resources are used in relation to movement planning and guidance in real world tasks. We compared performance on a perceptual discrimination paradigm during a saccade-alone task, reach-alone task, and a saccade-plus-reach task to map the temporal profile of the premotor attentional shift at the goal of the movement and at three surrounding locations. We measured performance relative to a valid baseline level to determine whether motor planning induces additional attentional facilitation compared to mere covert attention. Sensitivity increased relative to movement onset at the target and at the surrounding locations, for both the saccade-alone and saccade-plus-reach conditions. The results suggest that the temporal profile of the attentional shift is similar for the two tasks involving saccades (saccade-alone and saccade-plus-reach tasks), but is very different when the influence of the saccade is removed. In this case, performance in the saccade-plus-reach task reflects the lower sensitivity observed when a reach-alone task is being conducted. In addition, the spatial profile of this spread of attention is not symmetrical around the target. This suggests that when a saccade and reach are being planned together, the saccade drives the attentional shift, and the reach-alone carries little attentional weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma E M Stewart
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Preeti Verghese
- The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Anna Ma-Wyatt
- School of Psychology, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
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36
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Abstract
Controversy currently exists regarding whether visual working memory (VWM) maintains sensory or non-sensory representations. Here, we tested the nature of VWM representations by leveraging a perceptual surround suppression effect when an item is attended. Participants performed a delayed-estimation task in which they memorized an array of six colors. A cue indicated which location was most likely probed. In separate experiments, we manipulated external attention (via a precue) or internal attention (via a retrocue). Both types of attention elicited a surround suppression effect, such that memory performance showed a Mexican-hat profile as a function of cue-probe offsets. Given the sensory origin of the surround suppression effect, our results thus provide compelling evidence that VWM maintenance relies on sensory mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming W H Fang
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
| | - Susan M Ravizza
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Taosheng Liu
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
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37
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Couperus JW, Lydic KO. Attentional set and the gradient of visual spatial attention. Neurosci Lett 2019; 712:134495. [PMID: 31520648 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2019.134495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 09/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
There are a number of factors that may influence the shape and scope of the gradient of visual attention. This study examined the role of attentional set in determining the scope and presence of suppression in the gradient of visual selective attention observed in the P1 event related potential waveform. Twenty-two participants were asked to attend to a specific location and respond to a target stimulus. However, thirty percent of the time, the stimulus could also appear at one of 7 other locations (three ipsilateral to the attended location and four contralateral). Attentional set was varied by changes in the instructions to avoid confounds created by changing the stimuli. In half of the study participants were asked to respond only to stimuli that appeared at the designated location. In the other half of the study participants were asked to attend to the designated location but respond to all stimuli. Results demonstrate a significant main effect of attentional set, with greater processing when participants were asked to respond to all stimuli as compared to when they were only asked to respond to stimuli at the designated location. Additionally a significant interaction between visual field and location shows greater differences in processing (i.e. an attentional effect) at locations closer to the designated location. Findings are discussed in relation to the scope and gradient of attention.
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38
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Neural correlates of goal-directed enhancement and suppression of visual stimuli in the absence of conscious perception. Atten Percept Psychophys 2019; 81:1346-1364. [PMID: 30378084 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-018-1615-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
An observer's current goals can influence the processing of visual stimuli. Such influences can work to enhance goal-relevant stimuli and suppress goal-irrelevant stimuli. Here, we combined behavioral testing and electroencephalography (EEG) to examine whether such enhancement and suppression effects arise even when the stimuli are masked from awareness. We used a feature-based spatial cueing paradigm, in which participants searched four-item arrays for a target in a specific color. Immediately before the target array, a nonpredictive cue display was presented in which a cue matched or mismatched the searched-for target color, and appeared either at the target location (spatially valid) or another location (spatially invalid). Cue displays were masked using continuous flash suppression. The EEG data revealed that target-colored cues produced robust N2pc and NT responses-both signatures of spatial orienting-and distractor-colored cues produced a robust PD-a signature of suppression. Critically, the cueing effects occurred for both conscious and unconscious cues. The N2pc and NT were larger in the aware versus unaware cue condition, but the PD was roughly equivalent in magnitude across the two conditions. Our findings suggest that top-down control settings for task-relevant features elicit selective enhancement and suppression even in the absence of conscious perception. We conclude that conscious perception modulates selective enhancement of visual features, but suppression of those features is largely independent of awareness.
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39
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Yoo SA, Tsotsos JK, Fallah M. Feed-forward visual processing suffices for coarse localization but fine-grained localization in an attention-demanding context needs feedback processing. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223166. [PMID: 31557228 PMCID: PMC6762163 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 09/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
It is well known that simple visual tasks, such as object detection or categorization, can be performed within a short period of time, suggesting the sufficiency of feed-forward visual processing. However, more complex visual tasks, such as fine-grained localization may require high-resolution information available at the early processing levels in the visual hierarchy. To access this information using a top-down approach, feedback processing would need to traverse several stages in the visual hierarchy and each step in this traversal takes processing time. In the present study, we compared the processing time required to complete object categorization and localization by varying presentation duration and complexity of natural scene stimuli. We hypothesized that performance would be asymptotic at shorter presentation durations when feed-forward processing suffices for visual tasks, whereas performance would gradually improve as images are presented longer if the tasks rely on feedback processing. In Experiment 1, where simple images were presented, both object categorization and localization performance sharply improved until 100 ms of presentation then it leveled off. These results are a replication of previously reported rapid categorization effects but they do not support the role of feedback processing in localization tasks, indicating that feed-forward processing enables coarse localization in relatively simple visual scenes. In Experiment 2, the same tasks were performed but more attention-demanding and ecologically valid images were used as stimuli. Unlike in Experiment 1, both object categorization performance and localization precision gradually improved as stimulus presentation duration became longer. This finding suggests that complex visual tasks that require visual scrutiny call for top-down feedback processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Ah Yoo
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John K Tsotsos
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Active and Attentive Vision Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mazyar Fallah
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Visual Perception and Attention Laboratory, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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40
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Wong-Kee-You AMB, Tsotsos JK, Adler SA. Development of spatial suppression surrounding the focus of visual attention. J Vis 2019; 19:9. [DOI: 10.1167/19.7.9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - John K. Tsotsos
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- ://jtl.lassonde.yorku.ca/
| | - Scott A. Adler
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- ://babylab.cvr.yorku.ca
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41
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Karabay A, Akyürek EG. Temporal integration and attentional selection of color and contrast target pairs in rapid serial visual presentation. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2019; 196:56-69. [PMID: 31002976 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2018] [Revised: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 10/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Performance in a dual target rapid serial visual presentation task was investigated, dependent on whether the color or the contrast of the targets was the same or different. Both identification accuracy on the second target, as a measure of temporal attention, and the frequency of temporal integration were measured. When targets had a different color (red or blue), overall identification accuracy of the second target and identification accuracy of the second target at Lag 1 were both higher than when targets had the same color. At the same time, increased temporal integration of the targets at Lag 1 was observed in the different color condition, even though actual (non-integrated) single targets never consisted of multiple colors. When the color pairs were made more similar, so that they all fell within the range of a single nominal hue (blue), these effects were not observed. Different findings were obtained when contrast was manipulated. Identification accuracy of the second target was higher in the same contrast condition than in the different contrast condition. Higher identification accuracy of both targets was furthermore observed when they were presented with high contrast, while target contrast did not influence temporal integration at all. Temporal attention and integration were thus influenced differently by target contrast pairing than by (categorical) color pairing. Categorically different color pairs, or more generally, categorical feature pairs, may thus afford a reduction in temporal competition between successive targets that eventually enhances attention and integration.
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42
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Jonikaitis D, Dhawan S, Deubel H. Saccade selection and inhibition: motor and attentional components. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:1368-1380. [PMID: 30649975 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00726.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Motor responses are fundamentally spatial in their function and neural organization. However, studies of inhibitory motor control, focused on global stopping of all actions, have ignored whether inhibitory control can be exercised selectively for specific actions. We used a new approach to elicit and measure motor inhibition by asking human participants to either look at (select) or avoid looking at (inhibit) a location in space. We found that instructing a location to be avoided resulted in an inhibitory bias specific to that location. When compared with the facilitatory bias observed in the Look task, it differed significantly in both its spatiotemporal dynamics and its modulation of attentional processing. While action selection was evident in oculomotor system and interacted with attentional processing, action inhibition was evident mainly in the oculomotor system. Our findings suggest that action inhibition is implemented by spatially specific mechanisms that are separate from action selection. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that cognitive control of saccadic responses evokes separable action selection and inhibition processes. Both action selection and inhibition are represented in the saccadic system, but only action selection interacts with the attentional system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donatas Jonikaitis
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich, Germany.,Department of Neurobiology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine , Stanford, California
| | - Saurabh Dhawan
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Heiner Deubel
- Allgemeine und Experimentelle Psychologie, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Munich, Germany
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43
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Sahan MI, Dalmaijer ES, Verguts T, Husain M, Fias W. The Graded Fate of Unattended Stimulus Representations in Visuospatial Working Memory. Front Psychol 2019; 10:374. [PMID: 30863347 PMCID: PMC6399423 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00374] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As in visual perception, information can be selected for prioritized processing at the expense of unattended representations in visual working memory (VWM). However, what is not clear is whether and how this prioritization degrades the unattended representations. We addressed two hypotheses. First, the representational quality of unattended items could be degraded as a function of the spatial distance to attended information in VWM. Second, the strength with which an item is bound to its location is degraded as a function of the spatial distance to attended information in VWM. To disentangle these possibilities, we designed an experiment in which participants performed a continuous production task in which they memorized a visual array with colored discs, one of which was spatially retro-cued, informing the target location of an impending probe that was to be recalled (Experiment 1). We systematically varied the spatial distance between the cued and probed locations and obtained model-based estimates of the representational quality and binding strengths at varying cue-probe distances. Although the representational quality of the unattended representations remained unaffected by the cue-probe distance, spatially graded binding strengths were observed, as reflected in more spatial confusions at smaller cue-probe distances. These graded binding strengths were further replicated with a model-free approach in a categorical version of the production task in which stimuli and responses consisted of easily discriminable colors (Experiment 2). These results demonstrate that unattended representations are prone to spatial confusions due to spatial degradation of binding strengths in WM, even though they are stored with the same representational quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Muhammet I Sahan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Edwin S Dalmaijer
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford Oxford, United Kingdom.,MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Tom Verguts
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
| | - Masud Husain
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Wim Fias
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium
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44
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Parsing attentional processes involved in the elicitation of the N2pc component. Neuroreport 2019; 30:157-161. [PMID: 30489426 DOI: 10.1097/wnr.0000000000001176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The elicitation of the N2pc event-related potential component is commonly thought to be related to attentional processes involved in the selection of lateralized target information. However, it has recently been suggested that this component may reflect the localization of visual information in preparation of selection processes. This hypothesis specifically proposes that processes responsible for localization, rather than the selection of target identity elicit the N2pc component. The present study sought to explore this hypothesis by using a paradigm in which a cue stimulus could initiate the localization process before the onset of a target in a lateralized rapid serial visual presentation stream. Results indicate that processing of a cue, designed to initiate localization in the absence of processing required for target identity selection, is sufficient to elicit the N2pc component. Further, the N2pc elicited by solo targets in this paradigm was not observed when targets were preceded by the spatially informative cue stimuli. These results support the localization hypothesis and may reconcile mixed results from previous research by addressing specific properties of cue stimuli.
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45
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Fang MWH, Becker MW, Liu T. Attention to colors induces surround suppression at category boundaries. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1443. [PMID: 30723272 PMCID: PMC6363742 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-37610-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 12/10/2018] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated how attention to a visual feature modulates representations of other features. The feature-similarity gain model predicts a graded modulation, whereas an alternative model asserts an inhibitory surround in feature space. Although evidence for both types of modulations can be found, a consensus has not emerged in the literature. Here, we aimed to reconcile these different views by systematically measuring how attention modulates color perception. Based on previous literature, we also predicted that color categories would impact attentional modulation. Our results showed that both surround suppression and feature-similarity gain modulate perception of colors but they operate on different similarity scales. Furthermore, the region of the suppressive surround coincided with the color category boundary, suggesting a categorical sharpening effect. We implemented a neural population coding model to explain the observed behavioral effects, which revealed a hitherto unknown connection between neural tuning shift and surround suppression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming W H Fang
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Mark W Becker
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA
| | - Taosheng Liu
- Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
- Neuroscience Program, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
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46
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Havlíček O, Müller HJ, Wykowska A. Distract yourself: prediction of salient distractors by own actions and external cues. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2019; 83:159-174. [PMID: 30588545 PMCID: PMC6373372 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-018-1129-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2017] [Accepted: 12/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Distracting sensory events can capture attention, interfering with the performance of the task at hand. We asked: is our attention captured by such events if we cause them ourselves? To examine this, we employed a visual search task with an additional salient singleton distractor, where the distractor was predictable either by the participant's own (motor) action or by an endogenous cue; accordingly, the task was designed to isolate the influence of motor and non-motor predictive processes. We found both types of prediction, cue- and action-based, to attenuate the interference of the distractor-which is at odds with the "attentional white bear" hypothesis, which states that prediction of distracting stimuli mandatorily directs attention towards them. Further, there was no difference between the two types of prediction. We suggest this pattern of results may be better explained by theories postulating general predictive mechanisms, such as the framework of predictive processing, as compared to accounts proposing a special role of action-effect prediction, such as theories based on optimal motor control. However, rather than permitting a definitive decision between competing theories, our study highlights a number of open questions, to be answered by these theories, with regard to how exogenous attention is influenced by predictions deriving from the environment versus our own actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ondřej Havlíček
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802, Munich, Germany.
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04303, Leipzig, Germany.
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.
| | - Hermann J Müller
- Department of Psychology, General and Experimental Psychology Unit, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Leopoldstr. 13, 80802, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, Malet Street, WC1E 7HX, London, UK
| | - Agnieszka Wykowska
- Research line "Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction", Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego, 30, 16163, Genova, Italy
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47
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Yoo SA, Tsotsos JK, Fallah M. The Attentional Suppressive Surround: Eccentricity, Location-Based and Feature-Based Effects and Interactions. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:710. [PMID: 30349452 PMCID: PMC6186833 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The Selective Tuning model of visual attention (Tsotsos, 1990) has proposed that the focus of attention is surrounded by an inhibitory zone, eliciting a center-surround attentional distribution. This attentional suppressive surround inhibits irrelevant information which is located close to attended information in physical space (e.g., Cutzu and Tsotsos, 2003; Hopf et al., 2010) or in feature space (e.g., Tombu and Tsotsos, 2008; Störmer and Alvarez, 2014; Bartsch et al., 2017). In Experiment 1, we investigate the interaction between location-based and feature-based surround suppression and hypothesize that the attentional surround suppression would be maximized when spatially adjacent stimuli are also represented closely within a feature map. Our results demonstrate that perceptual discrimination is worst when two similar orientations are presented in proximity to each other, suggesting the interplay of the two surround suppression mechanisms. The Selective Tuning model also predicts that the size of the attentional suppressive surround is determined by the receptive field size of the neuron which optimally processes the attended information. The receptive field size of the processing neurons is tightly associated with stimulus size and eccentricity. Therefore, Experiment 2 tested the hypothesis that the size of the attentional suppressive surround would become larger as stimulus size and eccentricity increase, corresponding to an increase in the neuron's receptive field size. We show that stimulus eccentricity but not stimulus size modulates the size of the attentional suppressive surround. These results are consistent for both low- and high-level features (e.g., orientation and human faces). Overall, the present study supports the existence of the attentional suppressive surround and reveals new properties of this selection mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sang-Ah Yoo
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John K. Tsotsos
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Active and Attentive Vision Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Mazyar Fallah
- Department of Psychology, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Visual Perception and Attention Laboratory, School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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48
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Mohsenzadeh Y, Qin S, Cichy RM, Pantazis D. Ultra-Rapid serial visual presentation reveals dynamics of feedforward and feedback processes in the ventral visual pathway. eLife 2018; 7:e36329. [PMID: 29927384 PMCID: PMC6029845 DOI: 10.7554/elife.36329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human visual recognition activates a dense network of overlapping feedforward and recurrent neuronal processes, making it hard to disentangle processing in the feedforward from the feedback direction. Here, we used ultra-rapid serial visual presentation to suppress sustained activity that blurs the boundaries of processing steps, enabling us to resolve two distinct stages of processing with MEG multivariate pattern classification. The first processing stage was the rapid activation cascade of the bottom-up sweep, which terminated early as visual stimuli were presented at progressively faster rates. The second stage was the emergence of categorical information with peak latency that shifted later in time with progressively faster stimulus presentations, indexing time-consuming recurrent processing. Using MEG-fMRI fusion with representational similarity, we localized recurrent signals in early visual cortex. Together, our findings segregated an initial bottom-up sweep from subsequent feedback processing, and revealed the neural signature of increased recurrent processing demands for challenging viewing conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yalda Mohsenzadeh
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | - Sheng Qin
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
| | | | - Dimitrios Pantazis
- McGovern Institute for Brain ResearchMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgeUnited States
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49
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The profile of attention differs between locations orthogonal to and in line with reach direction. Atten Percept Psychophys 2018; 79:2412-2423. [PMID: 28785967 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-017-1400-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
People make movements in a variety of directions when interacting with the world around them. It has been well documented that attention shifts to the goal of an upcoming movement, whether the movement is a saccade or a reach. However, recent evidence suggests that the direction of a movement may influence the spatial spread of attention (Stewart & Ma-Wyatt, 2015, Journal of Vision, 15(5), 10). We investigated whether the spatiotemporal profile of attention differs depending on where that location is situated relative to the direction of movement, and if this pattern is consistent across different movement effectors. We compared attentional facilitation at locations in line with or orthogonal to the movement, for reach-only, reach-plus-saccade, and saccade-only conditions. Results show that the spatiotemporal profile of attention differs across different movement combinations, and is also different at target locations orthogonal to and in line with the movement direction. Specifically, when a reach alone was made, there was a general decrease in attention at all locations during the movement and a general increase in attention at all locations with a saccade only. However, the concurrent reach and saccade condition showed a premovement attentional facilitation at locations orthogonal to movement direction, but not those in line with the movement direction. These results suggest attentional guidance may be more important at differing time points, depending on the type of movement.
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50
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Avella Gonzalez OJ, Tsotsos JK. Short and Long-Term Attentional Firing Rates Can Be Explained by ST-Neuron Dynamics. Front Neurosci 2018; 12:123. [PMID: 29551961 PMCID: PMC5840210 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2018.00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 02/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Attention modulates neural selectivity and optimizes the allocation of cortical resources during visual tasks. A large number of experimental studies in primates and humans provide ample evidence. As an underlying principle of visual attention, some theoretical models suggested the existence of a gain element that enhances contrast of the attended stimuli. In contrast, the Selective Tuning model of attention (ST) proposes an attentional mechanism based on suppression of irrelevant signals. In this paper, we present an updated characterization of the ST-neuron proposed by the Selective Tuning model, and suggest that the inclusion of adaptation currents (Ih) to ST-neurons may explain the temporal profiles of the firing rates recorded in single V4 cells during attentional tasks. Furthermore, using the model we show that the interaction between stimulus-selectivity of a neuron and attention shapes the profile of the firing rate, and is enough to explain its fast modulation and other discontinuities observed, when the neuron responds to a sudden switch of stimulus, or when one stimulus is added to another during a visual task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oscar J Avella Gonzalez
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Laboratory for Active and Attentive Vision, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - John K Tsotsos
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada.,Laboratory for Active and Attentive Vision, Centre for Vision Research, York University, Toronto, ON, Canada
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