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Zhao J, Gao Y, Zhou S, Yan C, Hu X, Song F, Hu S, Wang Y, Kong F. Impact of relative and absolute values on orienting attention in time. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:1758-1770. [PMID: 38632161 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-024-01965-6] [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: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
Reward has been known to render the reward-associated stimulus more salient to block effective attentional orienting in space. However, whether and how reward influences goal-directed attention in time remains unclear. Here, we used a modified attentional cueing paradigm to explore the effect of reward on temporal attention, in which the valid targets were given a low monetary reward and invalid targets were given a high monetary reward. The results showed that the temporal cue validity effect was significantly smaller when the competitive reward structure was employed (Experiment 1), and we ruled out the possibility that the results were due to the practice effect (Experiment 2a) or a reward-promoting effect (Experiment 2b). When further strengthening the intensity of the reward from 1:10 to 1:100 (Experiment 3), we found a similar pattern of results to those in Experiment 1. These results suggest that reward information which was based on relative instead of absolute values can weaken, but not reverse, the orienting attention in time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Yunfei Gao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Sicen Zhou
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Chi Yan
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Xiaoqian Hu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China
| | - Fangxing Song
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Saisai Hu
- School of Psychology, Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Behavioral and Mental Health, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yonghui Wang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China.
| | - Feng Kong
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, No.199, South Chang'an Road, Yanta District, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
- Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an, China.
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Favero JD, Luck C, Lipp OV, Marinovic W. The effect of prepulse amplitude and timing on the perception of an electrotactile pulse. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:1038-1047. [PMID: 36385671 PMCID: PMC11062989 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02597-x] [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] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The perceived intensity of an intense stimulus as well as the startle reflex it elicits can both be reduced when preceded by a weak stimulus (prepulse). Both phenomena are used to characterise the processes of sensory gating in clinical and non-clinical populations. The latter phenomenon, startle prepulse inhibition (PPI), is conceptualised as a measure of pre-attentive sensorimotor gating due to its observation at short latencies. In contrast, the former, prepulse inhibition of perceived stimulus intensity (PPIPSI), is believed to involve higher-order cognitive processes (e.g., attention), which require longer latencies. Although conceptually distinct, PPIPSI is often studied using parameters that elicit maximal PPI, likely limiting what we can learn about sensory gating's influence on conscious perception. Here, we tested an array of stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs; 0-602 ms) and prepulse intensities (0-3× perceptual threshold) to determine the time course and sensitivity to the intensity of electrotactile PPIPSI. Participants were required to compare an 'unpleasant but not painful' electric pulse to their left wrist that was presented alone with the same stimulus preceded by an electric prepulse, and report which pulse stimulus felt more intense. Using a 2× perceptual threshold prepulse, PPIPSI emerged as significant at SOAs from 162 to 602 ms. We conclude that evidence of electrotactile PPIPSI at SOAs of 162 ms or longer is consistent with gating of perception requiring higher-level processes, not measured by startle PPI. The possible role of attentional processes, stimuli intensity, modality-specific differences, and methods of investigating PPIPSI further are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaspa D Favero
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
| | - Camilla Luck
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Ottmar V Lipp
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Welber Marinovic
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.
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Favero JD, Luck C, Lipp OV, Nguyen AT, Marinovic W. N1-P2 event-related potentials and perceived intensity are associated: The effects of a weak pre-stimulus and attentional load on processing of a subsequent intense stimulus. Biol Psychol 2023; 184:108711. [PMID: 37832864 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108711] [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: 08/26/2023] [Revised: 10/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
A weak stimulus presented immediately before a more intense one reduces both the N1-P2 cortical response and the perceived intensity of the intense stimulus. The former effect is referred to as cortical prepulse inhibition (PPI), the latter as prepulse inhibition of perceived stimulus intensity (PPIPSI). Both phenomena are used to study sensory gating in clinical and non-clinical populations, however little is known about their relationship. Here, we investigated 1) the possibility that cortical PPI and PPIPSI are associated, and 2) how they are affected by attentional load. Participants were tasked with comparing the intensity of an electric pulse presented alone versus one preceded 200 ms by a weaker electric prepulse (Experiment 1), or an acoustic pulse presented alone with one preceded 170 ms by a weaker acoustic prepulse (Experiment 2). A counting task (easy vs. hard) manipulating attentional load was included in Experiment 2. In both experiments, we observed a relationship between N1-P2 amplitude and perceived intensity, where greater cortical PPI was associated with a higher probability of perceiving the 'pulse with prepulse' as less intense. Moreover, higher attentional load decreased observations of PPIPSI but had no effect on N1-P2 amplitude. Based on the findings we propose that PPIPSI partially relies on the allocation of attentional resources towards monitoring cortical channels that process stimulus intensity characteristics such as the N1-P2 complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaspa D Favero
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
| | - Camilla Luck
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ottmar V Lipp
- School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - An T Nguyen
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Welber Marinovic
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
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Heuer H, Wühr P. The Impact of Speed-Accuracy Instructions on Spatial Congruency Effects. J Cogn 2023; 6:49. [PMID: 37636012 PMCID: PMC10453986 DOI: 10.5334/joc.318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In many tasks humans can trade speed against accuracy. This variation of strategy has different consequences for congruency effects in different conflict tasks. Recently, Mittelstädt et al. (2022) suggested that these differences are related to the dynamics of congruency effects as assessed by delta plots. With increasing delta plots in the Eriksen flanker task congruency effects were larger under accuracy set, and with decreasing delta plots in the Simon task they were smaller. Here we tested the hypothesis for a single task, making use of the observation that for the Simon task delta plots decline when the irrelevant feature is presented first, but increase when the relevant feature leads. The differences between congruency effects under speed and accuracy instructions confirmed the hypothesized relation to the slope of delta plots. In fact, for similar delta plots in the compared speed-accuracy conditions, the relation should be a straightforward consequence of the shorter and longer reaction times with speed and accuracy set, respectively. However, when relevant and irrelevant features were presented simultaneously, congruency effects were stronger under speed set at all reaction times. For this condition, a supplementary model-based analysis with an extended leaky, competing accumulator model suggested a stronger and longer-lasting influence of the irrelevant stimulus feature. The congruency effects for reaction times were accompanied by congruency effects for error rates when delta plots were decreasing, but not when they were increasing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herbert Heuer
- Leibniz Research Center for Working Environment and Human Factors (IfADo), DE
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Effects of a neutral warning signal under increased temporal uncertainty. Mem Cognit 2023:10.3758/s13421-023-01404-8. [PMID: 36811693 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01404-8] [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: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2023]
Abstract
Han and Proctor (2022a, Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 75[4], 754-764) reported that in a visual two-choice task, compared with a no-warning condition, a neutral warning tone caused shorter reaction times (RTs) but at the expense of an increase in error percentages (a speed-accuracy trade-off) at a constant 50-ms foreperiod but shorter RTs without an increase in error percentages at a 200-ms foreperiod. Also, the spatial compatibility of stimulus-response mappings was found to interact with the foreperiod effect on RT. We conducted three experiments to investigate whether these findings can be replicated without the constancy of foreperiod within a trial block. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants performed the same two-choice task as in Han and Proctor's study but with the foreperiod randomly varied among 50, 100, and 200 ms and RT feedback provided after each response. Results showed that as the foreperiod increased, RT decreased while EP increased, demonstrating a consistent speed-accuracy trade-off. Also, the mapping effect was found to be largest at the 100-ms foreperiod. In Experiment 3, RT feedback was not provided, and the warning tone speeded responses without evidence of an increase in error percentage. We conclude that the enhanced information processing at a 200-ms foreperiod depends on constancy of foreperiod within a trial block, whereas the mapping-foreperiod interaction found in Han and Proctor is relatively unaffected by increased temporal uncertainty.
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Nguyen AT, Tresilian JR, Lipp OV, Tavora-Vieira D, Marinovic W. Evolving changes in cortical and subcortical excitability during movement preparation: A study of brain potentials and eye-blink reflexes during loud acoustic stimulation. Psychophysiology 2023:e14267. [PMID: 36748371 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
During preparation for action, the presentation of loud acoustic stimuli (LAS) can trigger movements at very short latencies in a phenomenon called the StartReact effect. It was initially proposed that a special, separate subcortical mechanism that bypasses slower cortical areas could be involved. We sought to examine the evidence for a separate mechanism against the alternative that responses to LAS can be explained by a combination of stimulus intensity effects and preparatory states. To investigate whether cortically mediated preparatory processes are involved in mediating reactions to LAS, we used an auditory reaction task where we manipulated the preparation level within each trial by altering the conditional probability of the imperative stimulus. We contrasted responses to non-intense tones and LAS and examined whether cortical activation and subcortical excitability and motor responses were influenced by preparation levels. Increases in preparation levels were marked by gradual reductions in reaction time (RT) coupled with increases in cortical activation and subcortical excitability - at both condition and trial levels. Interestingly, changes in cortical activation influenced motor and auditory but not visual areas - highlighting the widespread yet selective nature of preparation. RTs were shorter to LAS than tones, but the overall pattern of preparation level effects was the same for both stimuli. Collectively, the results demonstrate that LAS responses are indeed shaped by cortically mediated preparatory processes. The concurrent changes observed in brain and behavior with increasing preparation reinforce the notion that preparation is marked by evolving brain states which shape the motor system for action.
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Affiliation(s)
- An T Nguyen
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | | | - Ottmar V Lipp
- School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Welber Marinovic
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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Yamashita J, Terashima H, Yoneya M, Maruya K, Oishi H, Kumada T. Pupillary fluctuation amplitude preceding target presentation is linked to the variable foreperiod effect on reaction time in Psychomotor Vigilance Tasks. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0276205. [PMID: 36264952 PMCID: PMC9584384 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0276205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding temporally attention fluctuations can benefit scientific knowledge and real-life applications. Temporal attention studies have typically used the reaction time (RT), which can be measured only after a target presentation, as an index of attention level. We have proposed the Micro-Pupillary Unrest Index (M-PUI) based on pupillary fluctuation amplitude to estimate RT before the target presentation. However, the kind of temporal attention effects that the M-PUI reflects remains unclear. We examined if the M-PUI shows two types of temporal attention effects initially reported for RTs in the variable foreperiod tasks: the variable foreperiod effect (FP effect) and the sequential effect (SE effect). The FP effect refers to a decrease in the RT due to an increase in the foreperiod of the current trial, whereas the SE effect refers to an increase in the RT in the early part of the foreperiod of the current trial due to an increase in the foreperiod of the previous trial. We used a simple reaction task with the medium-term variable foreperiods (Psychomotor Vigilance Task) and found that the M-PUI primarily reflects the FP effect. Inter-individual analyses showed that the FP effect on the M-PUI, unlike other eye movement indices, is correlated with the FP effect on RT. These results suggest that the M-PUI is a potentially powerful tool for investigating temporal attention fluctuations for a partly unpredictable target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jumpei Yamashita
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
- Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- * E-mail:
| | - Hiroki Terashima
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Makoto Yoneya
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Kazushi Maruya
- Human Information Science Laboratory, NTT Communication Science Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Haruo Oishi
- Access Operations Project, NTT Access Network Service Systems Laboratories, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Takatsune Kumada
- Department of Intelligence Science and Technology, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Change of Variable-Foreperiod Effects within an Experiment: A Bayesian Modeling Approach. J Cogn 2022; 5:40. [PMID: 36072112 PMCID: PMC9400609 DOI: 10.5334/joc.235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The framework of binding and retrieval in action control (BRAC) by Frings et al. (2020) proposed that repetition of any element in the previous trial triggers the retrieval of other elements in the same event file. Consistent with this framework, Los et al. (2014) argued that the temporal relation between the warning signal and the target stimulus on a trial is stored in a distinct memory trace (or, event file). Retrieval of the preceding memory trace, which is triggered by perceiving the same warning signal, leads to sequential foreperiod (SFP) effect. We modeled the data from four experiments using a Bayesian method to investigate whether the SFP effect changes over time. Results of Experiments 1, 3 and 4 support the multiple trace theory of preparation, which predicts an asymmetric sequential foreperiod effect, whereas those of Experiment 2 (extremely short foreperiods) support the repetition priming account by Capizzi et al. (2015). Moreover, the significance of the parameters showed that the asymmetry in Experiments 1 and 3 (non-aging distribution) developed gradually, whereas in Experiment 4 (uniform distribution), this asymmetry was significant from the beginning and did not change over time. Implications of these findings for temporal preparation models and BRAC framework were discussed.
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Balke J, Rolke B, Seibold VC. Temporal preparation accelerates spatial selection by facilitating bottom-up processing. Brain Res 2021; 1777:147765. [PMID: 34951971 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147765] [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: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Temporal preparation facilitates spatial selection in visual search. This selection benefit has not only been observed for targets, but also for task-irrelevant, salient distractors. This result suggests that temporal preparation influences bottom-up salience in spatial selection. To test this assumption, we conducted an event-related-potential (ERP) study in which we measured the joint effect of temporal preparation and target salience on the N2pc as an index of spatial selection and the N1 as an index of perceptual discrimination. To manipulate target salience, we employed two different setsizes (i.e., a small or large number of homogeneous distractors). To manipulate temporal preparation, we presented a warning signal before the search display and we varied the length of the interval (foreperiod) between warning signal and search display in different blocks of trials (constant foreperiod paradigm). Replicating previous results, we observed that the N1 and the N2pc arose earlier in case of good temporal preparation. Importantly, the beneficial effect on the N2pc onset latency was stronger when the target salience was initially low (i.e., small setsize). This result provides evidence that temporal preparation influences bottom-up processing and, thereby, facilitates spatial selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Balke
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Bettina Rolke
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
| | - Verena C Seibold
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tuebingen, Schleichstraße 4, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
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Han T, Proctor RW. Effects of a neutral warning signal on spatial two-choice reactions. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2021; 75:754-764. [PMID: 34293987 DOI: 10.1177/17470218211037604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Posner et al. reported that, at short fixed foreperiods, a neutral warning tone reduced reaction times (RTs) in a visual two-choice task while increasing error rates for both spatially compatible and incompatible stimulus-response mappings. Consequently, they concluded that alertness induced by the warning does not affect the efficiency of information processing but the setting of a response criterion. We conducted two experiments to determine the conditions under which the trade-off occurs. In Experiment 1, participants performed the same two-choice task as in Posner et al.'s study without RT feedback. Results showed that the warning tone speeded responses with no evidence of speed/accuracy trade-off. In Experiment 2, RT feedback was provided after each response, and a speed/accuracy trade-off was found for the 50-ms foreperiod. However, better information-processing efficiency was evident for the 200-ms foreperiod. We conclude that the foreperiod effect of a 50-ms foreperiod is a result of response criterion adjustment and that providing trial-level RT feedback is critical for replicating this pattern. However, fixed foreperiods of 200 ms or longer benefit both speed and accuracy, implying a more controlled preparation component that improves response efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianfang Han
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Robert W Proctor
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
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11
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Damsma A, Schlichting N, van Rijn H. Temporal Context Actively Shapes EEG Signatures of Time Perception. J Neurosci 2021; 41:4514-4523. [PMID: 33833083 PMCID: PMC8152605 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0628-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Our subjective perception of time is optimized to temporal regularities in the environment. This is illustrated by the central tendency effect: When estimating a range of intervals, short intervals are overestimated, whereas long intervals are underestimated to reduce the overall estimation error. Most models of interval timing ascribe this effect to the weighting of the current interval with previous memory traces after the interval has been perceived. Alternatively, the perception of the duration could already be flexibly tuned to its temporal context. We investigated this hypothesis using an interval reproduction task in which human participants (both sexes) reproduced a shorter and longer interval range. As expected, reproductions were biased toward the subjective mean of each presented range. EEG analyses showed that temporal context indeed affected neural dynamics during the perception phase. Specifically, longer previous durations decreased contingent negative variation and P2 amplitude and increased beta power. In addition, multivariate pattern analysis showed that it is possible to decode context from the transient EEG signal quickly after both onset and offset of the perception phase. Together, these results suggest that temporal context creates dynamic expectations which actively affect the perception of duration.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The subjective sense of duration does not arise in isolation, but is informed by previous experiences. This is demonstrated by abundant evidence showing that the production of duration estimates is biased toward previously experienced time intervals. However, it is yet unknown whether this temporal context actively affects perception or only asserts its influence in later, postperceptual stages as proposed by most current formal models of this task. Using an interval reproduction task, we show that EEG signatures flexibly adapt to the temporal context during perceptual encoding. Furthermore, interval history can be decoded from the transient EEG signal even when the current duration was identical. Thus, our results demonstrate that context actively influences perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atser Damsma
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9712 TS, The Netherlands
| | - Nadine Schlichting
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9712 TS, The Netherlands
| | - Hedderik van Rijn
- Department of Psychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, 9712 TS, The Netherlands
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Sosa JLR, Buonomano D, Izquierdo A. The orbitofrontal cortex in temporal cognition. Behav Neurosci 2021; 135:154-164. [PMID: 34060872 DOI: 10.1037/bne0000430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
One of the most important factors in decision-making is estimating the value of available options. Subregions of the prefrontal cortex, including the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), have been deemed essential for this process. Value computations require a complex integration across numerous dimensions, including, reward magnitude, effort, internal state, and time. The importance of the temporal dimension is well illustrated by temporal discounting tasks, in which subjects select between smaller-sooner versus larger-later rewards. The specific role of OFC in telling time and integrating temporal information into decision-making remains unclear. Based on the current literature, in this review we reevaluate current theories of OFC function, accounting for the influence of time. Incorporating temporal information into value estimation and decision-making requires distinct, yet interrelated, forms of temporal information including the ability to tell time, represent time, create temporal expectations, and the ability to use this information for optimal decision-making in a wide range of tasks, including temporal discounting and wagering. We use the term "temporal cognition" to refer to the integrated use of these different aspects of temporal information. We suggest that the OFC may be a critical site for the integration of reward magnitude and delay, and thus important for temporal cognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dean Buonomano
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Los Angeles
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13
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Frömer R, Lin H, Dean Wolf CK, Inzlicht M, Shenhav A. Expectations of reward and efficacy guide cognitive control allocation. Nat Commun 2021; 12:1030. [PMID: 33589626 PMCID: PMC7884731 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21315-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The amount of mental effort we invest in a task is influenced by the reward we can expect if we perform that task well. However, some of the rewards that have the greatest potential for driving these efforts are partly determined by factors beyond one's control. In such cases, effort has more limited efficacy for obtaining rewards. According to the Expected Value of Control theory, people integrate information about the expected reward and efficacy of task performance to determine the expected value of control, and then adjust their control allocation (i.e., mental effort) accordingly. Here we test this theory's key behavioral and neural predictions. We show that participants invest more cognitive control when this control is more rewarding and more efficacious, and that these incentive components separately modulate EEG signatures of incentive evaluation and proactive control allocation. Our findings support the prediction that people combine expectations of reward and efficacy to determine how much effort to invest.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Frömer
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - H Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
| | - C K Dean Wolf
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
| | - M Inzlicht
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
- Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - A Shenhav
- Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences, Carney Institute for Brain Science, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
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14
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Brulé S, Herlin B, Pouget P, Missal M. Ketamine reduces temporal expectation in the rhesus monkey. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2021; 238:559-567. [PMID: 33169200 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-020-05706-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Ketamine, a well-known general dissociative anesthetic agent that is a non-competitive antagonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, perturbs the perception of elapsed time and the expectation of upcoming events. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to determine the influence of ketamine on temporal expectation in the rhesus monkey. METHODS Two rhesus monkeys were trained to make a saccade between a central warning stimulus and an eccentric visual target that served as imperative stimulus. The delay between the warning and the imperative stimulus could take one of four different values randomly with the same probability (variable foreperiod paradigm). During experimental sessions, a subanesthetic low dose of ketamine (0.25-0.35 mg/kg) was injected i.m. and the influence of the drug on movement latency was measured. RESULTS We found that in the control conditions, saccadic latencies strongly decreased with elapsed time before the appearance of the visual target showing that temporal expectation built up during the delay period between the warning and the imperative stimulus. However, after ketamine injection, temporal expectation was significantly reduced in both subjects. In addition, ketamine also increased average movement latency but this effect could be dissociated from the reduction of temporal expectation. CONCLUSION In conclusion, a subanesthetic dose of ketamine could have two independent effects: increasing reaction time and decreasing temporal expectation. This alteration of temporal expectation could explain cognitive deficits observed during ketamine use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Brulé
- Institute of Brain and Spinal Cord, UMRS 975 Inserm, CNRS 7225, UMPC, Paris, France
| | - Bastien Herlin
- Institute of Brain and Spinal Cord, UMRS 975 Inserm, CNRS 7225, UMPC, Paris, France
| | - Pierre Pouget
- Institute of Brain and Spinal Cord, UMRS 975 Inserm, CNRS 7225, UMPC, Paris, France
| | - Marcus Missal
- Institute of Neurosciences (IONS), Cognition and System (COSY), Université catholique de Louvain, 53 av Mounier, B1.53. 4 COSY, 1200, Brussels, Belgium.
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15
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Los SA, Nieuwenstein J, Bouharab A, Stephens DJ, Meeter M, Kruijne W. The warning stimulus as retrieval cue: The role of associative memory in temporal preparation. Cogn Psychol 2021; 125:101378. [PMID: 33524889 DOI: 10.1016/j.cogpsych.2021.101378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
In a warned reaction time task, the warning stimulus (S1) initiates a process of temporal preparation, which promotes a speeded response to the impending target stimulus (S2). According to the multiple trace theory of temporal preparation (MTP), participants learn the timing of S2 by storing a memory trace on each trial, which contains a temporal profile of the events on that trial. On each new trial, S1 serves as a retrieval cue that implicitly and associatively activates memory traces created on earlier trials, which jointly drive temporal preparation for S2. The idea that S1 assumes this role as a retrieval cue was tested across eight experiments, in which two different S1s were associated with two different distributions of S1-S2 intervals: one with predominantly short and one with predominantly long intervals. Experiments differed regarding the S1 features that made up a pair, ranging from highly distinct (e.g., tone and flash) to more similar (e.g., red and green flash) and verbal (i.e., "short" vs "long"). Exclusively for pairs of highly distinct S1s, the results showed that the S1 cue modified temporal preparation, even in participants who showed no awareness of the contingency. This cueing effect persisted in a subsequent transfer phase, in which the contingency between S1 and the timing of S2 was broken - a fact participants were informed of in advance. Together, these findings support the role of S1 as an implicit retrieval cue, consistent with MTP.
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16
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Balke J, Rolke B, Seibold VC. Reduction of temporal uncertainty facilitates stimulus-driven processes in spatial selection. Biol Psychol 2021; 159:108028. [PMID: 33476702 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown that the reduction of temporal uncertainty facilitates target selection in visual search. We investigated whether this beneficial effect is caused by an effect on stimulus-driven processes or on goal-driven processes in spatial selection. To discriminate between these processes, we employed a visual search task in which participants searched for a shape target while ignoring a color singleton distractor. As an index of stimulus-driven processes, we measured the N2pc evoked by the singleton distractor (ND). As indices of goal-driven processes, we measured the N2pc evoked by the target (NT) and the distractor positivity (PD) evoked by the singleton distractor, respectively. We observed that reducing temporal uncertainty modulated the amplitude of ND and the onset latency of the NT, but did not modulate the amplitude of the PD. These results are consistent with the view that a reduction of temporal uncertainty influences non-selective, stimulus-driven processes in spatial selection.
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17
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van den Brink RL, Murphy PR, Desender K, de Ru N, Nieuwenhuis S. Temporal Expectation Hastens Decision Onset But Does Not Affect Evidence Quality. J Neurosci 2021; 41:130-143. [PMID: 33172980 PMCID: PMC7786203 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1103-20.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to predict the timing of forthcoming events, known as temporal expectation, has a strong impact on human information processing. Although there is growing consensus that temporal expectations enhance the speed and accuracy of perceptual decisions, it remains unclear whether they affect the decision process itself, or non-decisional (sensory/motor) processes. Here, healthy human participants (N = 21; 18 female) used predictive auditory cues to anticipate the timing of low-contrast visual stimuli they were required to detect. Modeling of the behavioral data using a prominent sequential sampling model indicated that temporal expectations speeded up non-decisional processes but had no effect on decision formation. Electrophysiological recordings confirmed and extended this result: temporal expectations hastened the onset of a neural signature of decision formation but had no effect on its build-up rate. Anticipatory α band power was modulated by temporal expectation and co-varied with intrinsic trial-by-trial variability in behavioral and neural signatures of the onset latency of the decision process. These findings highlight how temporal predictions optimize our interaction with unfolding sensory events.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Temporal expectation enhances performance, but the locus of this effect remains debated. Here, we contrasted the two dominant accounts: enhancement through (1) expedited decision onset, or (2) an increase in the quality of sensory evidence. We manipulated expectations about the onset of a dim visual target using a temporal cueing paradigm, and probed the locus of the expectation effect with two complementary approaches: drift diffusion modeling (DDM) of behavior, and estimation of the onset and progression of the decision process from a supramodal accumulation-to-bound signal in simultaneously measured EEG signals. Behavioral modeling and neural data provided strong, converging evidence for an account in which temporal expectations enhance perception by speeding up decision onset, without affecting evidence quality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruud L van den Brink
- Section Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20251 Germany
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
| | - Peter R Murphy
- Section Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20251 Germany
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
| | - Kobe Desender
- Section Computational Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, 20251 Germany
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, 9000, Belgium
- Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Leuven, 3000, Belgium
| | - Nicole de Ru
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
| | - Sander Nieuwenhuis
- Department of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
- Leiden Institute for Brain and Cognition, Leiden, 2333 AK, The Netherlands
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18
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Abstract
The Eriksen flanker task is a traditional conflict paradigm for studying the influence of task-irrelevant information on the processing of task-relevant information. In this task, participants are asked to respond to a visual target item (e.g., a letter) that is flanked by task-irrelevant items (e.g., also letters). Responses are typically faster and more accurate when the task-irrelevant information is response-congruent with the visual target than when it is incongruent. Several researchers have attributed the starting point of this flanker effect to poor selective filtering at a perceptual level (e.g., spotlight models), which subsequently produces response competition at post-perceptual stages. The present study examined whether a flanker-like effect could also be established within a bimodal analog of the flanker task with auditory irrelevant letters and visual target letters, which must be processed along different processing routes. The results of two experiments revealed that a flanker-like effect is also present with bimodal stimuli. In contrast to the unimodal flanker task, however, the effect only emerged when flankers and targets shared the same letter name, but not when they were different letters mapped onto the same response. We conclude that the auditory flankers can influence the time needed to recognize visual targets but do not directly activate their associated responses.
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19
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Yeshurun Y, Tkacz-Domb S. The time-course of endogenous temporal attention - Super fast voluntary allocation of attention. Cognition 2020; 206:104506. [PMID: 33166821 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2020.104506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
It is widely accepted that voluntary spatial attention is slow - it can only affect performance with medium and long cue-target intervals. Here, we examined whether this also holds for voluntary temporal attention. We performed a rigorous examination of the time-course of attention allocation to a point in time using two common paradigms for studying endogenous temporal attention: 'constant foreperiod' and 'temporal orienting'. With both paradigms, the task required non-speeded identification of a letter, whose presentation was preceded by a warning cue. This cue was either auditory or visual, and it was either informative or uninformative. Critically, to avoid exogenous attention, the cues did not involve an intensity change. We found significantly higher identification accuracy when the cue was informative than uninformative, suggesting that temporal attention improved perceptual processing. Importantly, reliable effects of temporal attention on perceptual processing were found with as little as 150 ms from cue onset and up to 2400 ms. Hence, measuring endogenous attention in the temporal domain revealed a twofold faster mechanism than what was believed based on measurements in the spatial domain. These findings challenge the common assumption that voluntary processes are inherently slow. Instead, they portray voluntary mechanisms as considerably more flexible and dynamic, and they further underscore the importance of incorporating the temporal domain into the study of human perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yaffa Yeshurun
- School of Psychological Sciences & Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Israel.
| | - Shira Tkacz-Domb
- School of Psychological Sciences & Institute of Information Processing and Decision Making, University of Haifa, Israel
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20
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Seibold VC, Stepper MY, Rolke B. Temporal attention boosts perceptual effects of spatial attention and feature-based attention. Brain Cogn 2020; 142:105570. [PMID: 32447188 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Temporal attention, that is, the process of anticipating the occurrence of a stimulus at a given time point, has been shown to improve perceptual processing of visual stimuli. In the present study, we investigated whether and how temporal attention interacts with spatial attention and feature-based attention in visual selection. To monitor the influence of the three different attention dimensions on perceptual processing, we measured event-related potentials (ERPs). Our participants performed a visual search task, in which a colored singleton was presented amongst homogenous distractors. We manipulated spatial and feature-based attention by requiring participants to respond only to target singletons in a particular color and at a to-be-attended spatial location. We manipulated temporal attention by means of an explicit temporal cue that announced either validly or invalidly the occurrence of the search display. We obtained early ERP effects of spatial attention and feature-based attention at the validly cued but not at the invalidly cued time point. Taken together, our results suggest that temporal attention boosts early effects of spatial and feature-based attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena C Seibold
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Madeleine Y Stepper
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Bettina Rolke
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Germany
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21
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Abstract
Intentional inhibition, a critical ability of human cognitive control, is the capacity to internally withhold a to-be-performed action. In the voluntary decision-making process, the cognitive system continuously generates intentional inhibition to ensure appropriate actions. However, the temporal dynamic of intentional inhibition is unclear. This study investigated the role of temporal preparation in internally generated intentional inhibition using a novel task that involved a modified free-choice task and a foreperiod paradigm. The experiment included Go, No-Go and free-choice trials, and temporal preparation was manipulated by varying the duration and constancy of the interval between the warning stimulus and target stimulus. The results showed that a high degree of temporal preparation can strengthen the intentional decision to inhibit action on free choices. By demonstrating that intentional inhibition is enhanced with increased temporal preparation, the present study illustrates how the cognitive decision-making system controls the flexibility and strategy in human behavior.
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22
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Jung KH, Martin T, Ruthruff E. Electrophysiological examination of response-related interference while dual-tasking: is it motoric or attentional? PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:660-678. [PMID: 32020364 PMCID: PMC7900070 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01261-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 10/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The possibility that interference between motor responses contributes to dual-task costs has long been neglected, yet is supported by several recent studies. There are two competing hypotheses regarding this response-related interference. The motor-bottleneck hypothesis asserts that the motor stage of Task 1 triggers a refractory period that delays the motor stage of Task 2. The response-monitoring hypothesis asserts that monitoring of the Task-1 motor response delays the response-selection stage of Task 2. Both hypotheses predict lengthening of Task-2 response time (RT2) when Task 1 requires motor processing relative to when it does not. However, they assume different loci for the response-related bottleneck, and therefore make different predictions regarding (a) the interaction between Task-1 motor requirement and the Task-2 difficulty effect as measured by RT2 and (b) the premotoric durations and motoric durations of Task 2 as measured by lateralized readiness potentials (LRPs). To test these predictions, we conducted two experiments manipulating the Task-1 motor requirement (Go vs. NoGo) and Task-2 response-selection difficulty, as well as the stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA). Task-1 motor processing significantly lengthened RT2, suggesting response-related interference. Importantly, the Task-1 motor response reduced the Task-2 difficulty effect at the short SOA, indicating postponement of the Task-2 motor stage, consistent with the motor-bottleneck hypothesis. Further consistent with the motor-bottleneck hypothesis, the Task-2 LRP indicated a consistent premotoric duration of Task 2 regardless of Task-1 motor requirement. These results are difficult to reconcile with the response-monitoring hypotheses, which places the response-related bottleneck before the response-selection stage of Task 2. The results also have important implications regarding use of locus-of-slack logic in PRP studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung Hun Jung
- Department of Psychological Science, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA.
| | - Tim Martin
- Department of Psychological Science, Kennesaw State University, 1000 Chastain Road, Kennesaw, GA, 30144, USA
| | - Eric Ruthruff
- Department of Psychology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, USA
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23
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Thomas E, French R, Alizee G, Coull JT. Having your cake and eating it: Faster responses with reduced muscular activation while learning a temporal interval. Neuroscience 2019; 410:68-75. [PMID: 31082534 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
We examined how motor responses to a stimulus evolve as individuals learn to predict when a stimulus will appear, by comparing responses to a regular versus irregular stimulus train. The study was conducted with two groups of adults - one responded to the regular appearance of a visual stimulus every 3 s (R group) and the second responded to the irregular presentation of the same stimulus (IR group) at intervals varying between 2 and 4 s. Participants responded to the appearance of the stimulus by bending over to press a button that was slightly out of reach. This whole body reach requires muscular activation at the ankles. Over the course of 50 consecutive responses, the response times in the R group were found to decrease more than those for participants in the IR group. The electromyographs (EMGs) of two ankle antagonist muscles, the anterior tibialis and soleus were also modified as participants progressively learnt the temporal regularity of a sequence. Tibialis onset times for the R group were found to decrease faster. A less predictable observation was the faster reduction in post stimulus activation of the tibialis muscle for the R group. Soleus muscle deactivation is an indicator of movement preparation. EMG integrals for this muscle a little before stimulus onset showed a trend for greater decrease in the R group. In summary, our study shows that temporal expectations over repeated stimulus presentation permit the dynamic optimization of motor activity with progressively faster response times, muscle activation onset times and lower muscle activation amplitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Thomas
- UFR-STAPS, INSERM U-1093, Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity Université de Bourgogne, Campus Universitaire, BP, 27877, F-21078 Dijon, France.
| | - Robert French
- LEAD, CNRS UMR5022, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, I3M, 64 Rue de Sully, 21000 Dijon, France
| | - Guy Alizee
- UFR-STAPS, INSERM U-1093, Cognition, Action and Sensorimotor Plasticity Université de Bourgogne, Campus Universitaire, BP, 27877, F-21078 Dijon, France
| | - Jennifer T Coull
- Laboratoire des Neurosciences Cognitives UMR 7291, Aix-Marseille Université & CNRS, 3 Place Victor-Hugo, 13331, Marseille Cedex 3, France
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24
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Carrillo-de-la-Peña MT, Bonilla FM, González-Villar AJ. Effect of the stop-signal modality on brain electrical activity associated with suppression of ongoing actions. Biol Psychol 2019; 143:85-92. [PMID: 30807785 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.01.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 01/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
To clarify how the modality of stop signals affects the ability to suppress ongoing actions, we compared behavioural indices and event-related potentials (ERPs) recorded in healthy volunteers performing visual and auditory stop-signal tasks. Auditory stop signals were associated with faster reaction times and shorter stop-N2 and stop-P3 latencies. Given that the tasks did not differ in attentional/arousal processes (go-P3 or stop-P3 amplitudes) or motor preparation (LRP amplitude, onset or latency), our results suggest that stop signal modality mainly affects bottom-up sensory processes (faster auditory processing). The ERP waveform obtained by subtracting successfully stopped from unsuccessfully stopped trials showed similar amplitude and topography in both tasks, indicating that the strength of top-down processes related to inhibition was independent of modality. The findings contribute further knowledge about the variables associated with efficient inhibition and have practical implications for the design of settings or interventions to improve reactive inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - F M Bonilla
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universidad El Bosque, Colombia
| | - A J González-Villar
- Psychophysiology Lab, Faculty of Psychology, Universdad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain; Psychological Neuroscience Lab, Research Center in Psychology, School of Psychology, Universidade do Minho, Portugal
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25
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Denison RN, Yuval-Greenberg S, Carrasco M. Directing Voluntary Temporal Attention Increases Fixational Stability. J Neurosci 2019; 39:353-363. [PMID: 30459223 PMCID: PMC6325259 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1926-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2018] [Revised: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Our visual input is constantly changing, but not all moments are equally relevant. Visual temporal attention, the prioritization of visual information at specific points in time, increases perceptual sensitivity at behaviorally relevant times. The dynamic processes underlying this increase are unclear. During fixation, humans make small eye movements called microsaccades, and inhibiting microsaccades improves perception of brief stimuli. Here, we investigated whether temporal attention changes the pattern of microsaccades in anticipation of brief stimuli. Human observers (female and male) judged stimuli presented within a short sequence. Observers were given either an informative precue to attend to one of the stimuli, which was likely to be probed, or an uninformative (neutral) precue. We found strong microsaccadic inhibition before the stimulus sequence, likely due to its predictable onset. Critically, this anticipatory inhibition was stronger when the first target in the sequence (T1) was precued (task-relevant) than when the precue was uninformative. Moreover, the timing of the last microsaccade before T1 and the first microsaccade after T1 shifted such that both occurred earlier when T1 was precued than when the precue was uninformative. Finally, the timing of the nearest pre- and post-T1 microsaccades affected task performance. Directing voluntary temporal attention therefore affects microsaccades, helping to stabilize fixation at the most relevant moments over and above the effect of predictability. Just as saccading to a relevant stimulus can be an overt correlate of the allocation of spatial attention, precisely timed gaze stabilization can be an overt correlate of the allocation of temporal attention.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We pay attention at moments in time when a relevant event is likely to occur. Such temporal attention improves our visual perception, but how it does so is not well understood. Here, we discovered a new behavioral correlate of voluntary, or goal-directed, temporal attention. We found that the pattern of small fixational eye movements called microsaccades changes around behaviorally relevant moments in a way that stabilizes the position of the eyes. Microsaccades during a brief visual stimulus can impair perception of that stimulus. Therefore, such fixation stabilization may contribute to the improvement of visual perception at attended times. This link suggests that, in addition to cortical areas, subcortical areas mediating eye movements may be recruited with temporal attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel N Denison
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003 and
| | - Shlomit Yuval-Greenberg
- School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Marisa Carrasco
- Department of Psychology and Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, New York 10003 and
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26
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Wang Y, Li Y, Liu D, Zou M, Zhang B, Wang Y. The role of response readiness in subliminal visuomotor processes. Conscious Cogn 2018; 68:23-32. [PMID: 30594808 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2018.12.002] [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: 08/22/2018] [Revised: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 12/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The present study aims to examine the impact of response readiness on visuomotor processes triggered by subliminal stimuli using a mixed paradigm involving the masked prime paradigm and a foreperiod paradigm. Experiment 1 ensured that response readiness was successfully manipulated in the mixed paradigm. Importantly, Experiment 2 found that the negative compatibility effect (NCE; a behavioral indicator of subliminal visuomotor processes) disappeared and that response time lost its power to modulate the compatibility effect (CE) with reduced response readiness (due to temporal uncertainty). These results of CEs both independent of response latency and across different levels of response latency indicate that response readiness is a prerequisite for obtaining the NCE. The findings suggest that automatic processing of subliminal stimuli is susceptible to top-down control for reducing the interference of irrelevant information, which ensures a high degree of adaptability and flexibility of our cognitive system in interactions with the changing environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongchun Wang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China; School of Humanities, Xidian University, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710126, China
| | - Ya Li
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Dawei Liu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Meng Zou
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Baoqiang Zhang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China
| | - Yonghui Wang
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, China; Shaanxi Provincial Key Laboratory of Behavior & Cognitive Neuroscience, Xi'an 710062, China.
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27
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Liaci E, Fischer A, Atmanspacher H, Heinrichs M, Tebartz van Elst L, Kornmeier J. Positive and negative hysteresis effects for the perception of geometric and emotional ambiguities. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202398. [PMID: 30256789 PMCID: PMC6157843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The present study utilizes perceptual hysteresis effects to compare the ambiguity of Mona Lisa's emotional face expression (high-level ambiguity) and of geometric cube stimuli (low-level ambiguity). METHODS In two experiments we presented series of nine Mona Lisa variants and nine cube variants. Stimulus ambiguity was manipulated by changing Mona Lisa's mouth curvature (Exp. 1) and the cubes' back-layer luminance (Exp. 2). Each experiment consisted of three conditions, two with opposite stimulus presentation sequences with increasing and decreasing degrees of ambiguity, respectively, and a third condition with a random presentation sequence. Participants indicated happy or sad face percepts (Exp. 1) and alternative 3D cube percepts (Exp. 2) by key presses. We studied the influences of a priori perceptual biases (long-term memory) and presentation order (short-term memory) on perception. RESULTS Perception followed sigmoidal functions of the stimulus ambiguity morphing parameters. The morphing parameter for the functions' inflection points depended strongly on stimulus presentation order with similar effect sizes but different signs for the two stimulus types (positive hysteresis / priming for the cubes; negative hysteresis / adaptation for Mona Lisa). In the random conditions, the inflection points were located in the middle between those from the two directional conditions for the Mona Lisa stimuli. For the cube stimuli, they were superimposed on one sigmoidal function for the ordered condition. DISCUSSION The hysteresis effects reflect the influence of short-term memory during the perceptual disambiguation of ambiguous sensory information. The effects for the two stimulus types are of similar size, explaining up to 34% of the perceptual variance introduced by the paradigm. We explain the qualitative difference between positive and negative hysteresis with adaptation for Mona Lisa and with priming for the cubes. In addition, the hysteresis paradigm allows a quantitative determination of the impact of adaptation and priming during the resolution of perceptual ambiguities. The asymmetric shifts of inflection points in the case of the cube stimuli is likely due to an a priori perceptual bias, reflecting an influence of long-term memory. Whether corresponding influences also exist for the Mona Lisa variants is so far unclear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Liaci
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Fischer
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Harald Atmanspacher
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Collegium Helveticum, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ludger Tebartz van Elst
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kornmeier
- Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany
- Section for Experimental Neuropsychiatry, Department for Psychiatry & Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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Not All Predictions Are Equal: "What" and "When" Predictions Modulate Activity in Auditory Cortex through Different Mechanisms. J Neurosci 2018; 38:8680-8693. [PMID: 30143578 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0369-18.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2018] [Revised: 07/22/2018] [Accepted: 07/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Using predictions based on environmental regularities is fundamental for adaptive behavior. While it is widely accepted that predictions across different stimulus attributes (e.g., time and content) facilitate sensory processing, it is unknown whether predictions across these attributes rely on the same neural mechanism. Here, to elucidate the neural mechanisms of predictions, we combine invasive electrophysiological recordings (human electrocorticography in 4 females and 2 males) with computational modeling while manipulating predictions about content ("what") and time ("when"). We found that "when" predictions increased evoked activity over motor and prefrontal regions both at early (∼180 ms) and late (430-450 ms) latencies. "What" predictability, however, increased evoked activity only over prefrontal areas late in time (420-460 ms). Beyond these dissociable influences, we found that "what" and "when" predictability interactively modulated the amplitude of early (165 ms) evoked responses in the superior temporal gyrus. We modeled the observed neural responses using biophysically realistic neural mass models, to better understand whether "what" and "when" predictions tap into similar or different neurophysiological mechanisms. Our modeling results suggest that "what" and "when" predictability rely on complementary neural processes: "what" predictions increased short-term plasticity in auditory areas, whereas "when" predictability increased synaptic gain in motor areas. Thus, content and temporal predictions engage complementary neural mechanisms in different regions, suggesting domain-specific prediction signaling along the cortical hierarchy. Encoding predictions through different mechanisms may endow the brain with the flexibility to efficiently signal different sources of predictions, weight them by their reliability, and allow for their encoding without mutual interference.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Predictions of different stimulus features facilitate sensory processing. However, it is unclear whether predictions of different attributes rely on similar or different neural mechanisms. By combining invasive electrophysiological recordings of cortical activity with experimental manipulations of participants' predictions about content and time of acoustic events, we found that the two types of predictions had dissociable influences on cortical activity, both in terms of the regions involved and the timing of the observed effects. Further, our biophysical modeling analysis suggests that predictability of content and time rely on complementary neural processes: short-term plasticity in auditory areas and synaptic gain in motor areas, respectively. This suggests that predictions of different features are encoded with complementary neural mechanisms in different brain regions.
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Rapela J, Westerfield M, Townsend J. A New Foreperiod Effect on Intertrial Phase Coherence. Part I: Existence and Behavioral Relevance. Neural Comput 2018; 30:2348-2383. [PMID: 29949462 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
This letter makes scientific and methodological contributions. Scientifically, it demonstrates a new and behaviorally relevant effect of temporal expectation on the phase coherence of the electroencephalogram (EEG). Methodologically, it introduces novel methods to characterize EEG recordings at the single-trial level. Expecting events in time can lead to more efficient behavior. A remarkable finding in the study of temporal expectation is the foreperiod effect on reaction time, that is, the influence on reaction time of the delay between a warning signal and a succeeding imperative stimulus to which subjects are instructed to respond as quickly as possible. Here we study a new foreperiod effect in an audiovisual attention-shifting oddball task in which attention-shift cues directed the attention of subjects to impendent deviant stimuli of a given modality and therefore acted as warning signals for these deviants. Standard stimuli, to which subjects did not respond, were interspersed between warning signals and deviants. We hypothesized that foreperiod durations modulated intertrial phase coherence (ITPC, the degree of phase alignment across multiple trials) evoked by behaviorally irrelevant standards and that these modulations are behaviorally meaningful. Using averaged data, we first observed that ITPC evoked by standards closer to the warning signal was significantly different from that evoked by standards further away from it, establishing a new foreperiod effect on ITPC evoked by standards. We call this effect the standard foreperiod (SFP) effect on ITPC. We reasoned that if the SFP influences ITPC evoked by standards, it should be possible to decode the former from the latter on a trial-by-trial basis. We were able to do so showing that this effect can be observed in single trials. We demonstrated the behavioral relevance of the SFP effect on ITPC by showing significant correlations between its strength and subjects' behavioral performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joaquin Rapela
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, and Instituto de Investigación en Luz, Ambiente y Visión, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán-Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Argentina
| | - Marissa Westerfield
- Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, U.S.A., Research on Autism and Development Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037
| | - Jeanne Townsend
- Research on Autism and Development Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037
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30
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Abstract
Practice effects on dual-task processing are of interest in current research because they may reveal the scope and limits of parallel task processing. Here we used onsets of the lateralized readiness potential (LRP), a time marker for the termination of response selection, to assess processing changes after five consecutive dual-task sessions with three stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) and priority on Task 1. Practice reduced reaction times in both tasks and the interference between tasks. As indicated by the LRP, the reduction of dual-task costs can be explained most parsimoniously by a shortening of the temporal demands of central bottleneck stages, without assuming parallel processing. However, the LRP also revealed a hitherto unreported early activation over the parietal scalp after practice in the short SOA condition, possibly indicating the isolation of stimulus–response translation from other central processing stages. In addition, further evidence was obtained from the LRP for a late motoric bottleneck, which is robust against practice.
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Bausenhart KM, Rolke B, Ulrich R. Short Article: Knowing When to Hear Aids What to Hear. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2018; 60:1610-5. [PMID: 17853192 DOI: 10.1080/17470210701536419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Temporal preparation often has been assumed to influence motor stages of information processing. Recent studies, however, challenge this notion and provide evidence for a facilitation of visual processing. The present study was designed to investigate whether perceptual processing in the auditory domain also benefits from temporal preparation. To this end, we employed a pitch discrimination task. In Experiment 1, discrimination performance was clearly improved when participants were temporally prepared. This finding was confirmed in Experiment 2, which ruled out possible influences of short-term memory. The results support the notion that temporal preparation enhances perceptual processing not only in the visual, but also in the auditory, modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karin M Bausenhart
- Psychologisches Institut, University of Tübingen, Friedrichstrasse 21, D-72072 Tübingen, Germany.
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32
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Abeles D, Yuval-Greenberg S. Just look away: Gaze aversions as an overt attentional disengagement mechanism. Cognition 2017; 168:99-109. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2017.06.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2016] [Revised: 06/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/19/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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33
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Horváth J, Gaál ZA, Volosin M. Sound offset-related brain potentials show retained sensory processing, but increased cognitive control activity in older adults. Neurobiol Aging 2017; 57:232-246. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2017.05.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2017] [Revised: 05/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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34
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Olmos-Solis K, van Loon AM, Los SA, Olivers CNL. Oculomotor measures reveal the temporal dynamics of preparing for search. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2017; 236:1-23. [PMID: 29157407 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Theories of visual search assume that selection is driven by an active template representation of the target object. Earlier studies suggest that template activation occurs prior to search, but the temporal dynamics of such preactivation remain unclear. Two experiments employed microsaccades to track both general preparation (i.e., anticipation of the search task as such) and template-specific preparation (i.e., anticipation of target selection) of visual search. Participants memorized a target color (i.e., the template) for an upcoming search task. During the delay period, we presented an irrelevant rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) of lateralized colored disks. Crucially, at different time points into the RSVP, the template color was inserted, allowing us to measure attentional biases toward the template match as a function of time. Results showed a general suppression of saccades: the closer in time to the search display, the less saccades were produced. This suppression was stronger when a template-matching color was present compared to when absent. However, when microsaccades occurred, they were biased toward the template-matching color and more so just prior to the search display. We conclude that observers adapt search template activation to the anticipated moment of search, and that microsaccades reflect general as well as target-specific preparation effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anouk M van Loon
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Sander A Los
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Christian N L Olivers
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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35
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Wiegand I, Petersen A, Finke K, Bundesen C, Lansner J, Habekost T. Behavioral and Brain Measures of Phasic Alerting Effects on Visual Attention. Front Hum Neurosci 2017; 11:176. [PMID: 28443009 PMCID: PMC5385325 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 03/24/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated effects of phasic alerting on visual attention in a partial report task, in which half of the displays were preceded by an auditory warning cue. Based on the computational Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), we estimated parameters of spatial and non-spatial aspects of visual attention and measured event-related lateralizations (ERLs) over visual processing areas. We found that the TVA parameter sensory effectiveness a, which is thought to reflect visual processing capacity, significantly increased with phasic alerting. By contrast, the distribution of visual processing resources according to task relevance and spatial position, as quantified in parameters top-down control α and spatial bias windex, was not modulated by phasic alerting. On the electrophysiological level, the latencies of ERLs in response to the task displays were reduced following the warning cue. These results suggest that phasic alerting facilitates visual processing in a general, unselective manner and that this effect originates in early stages of visual information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Wiegand
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark.,Center for Lifespan Development, Max-Planck Institute for Human DevelopmentBerlin, Germany.,Max-Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing ResearchBerlin, Germany
| | - Anders Petersen
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kathrin Finke
- General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) MunichMunich, Germany.,Hans-Berger Department of Neurology, Jena University HospitalJena, Germany
| | - Claus Bundesen
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jon Lansner
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thomas Habekost
- Center for Visual Cognition, Department of Psychology, University of CopenhagenCopenhagen, Denmark
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36
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Magyari L, De Ruiter JP, Levinson SC. Temporal Preparation for Speaking in Question-Answer Sequences. Front Psychol 2017; 8:211. [PMID: 28270782 PMCID: PMC5318421 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In every-day conversations, the gap between turns of conversational partners is most frequently between 0 and 200 ms. We were interested how speakers achieve such fast transitions. We designed an experiment in which participants listened to pre-recorded questions about images presented on a screen and were asked to answer these questions. We tested whether speakers already prepare their answers while they listen to questions and whether they can prepare for the time of articulation by anticipating when questions end. In the experiment, it was possible to guess the answer at the beginning of the questions in half of the experimental trials. We also manipulated whether it was possible to predict the length of the last word of the questions. The results suggest when listeners know the answer early they start speech production already during the questions. Speakers can also time when to speak by predicting the duration of turns. These temporal predictions can be based on the length of anticipated words and on the overall probability of turn durations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilla Magyari
- Department of General Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Pázmány Péter Catholic University Budapest, Hungary
| | - Jan P De Ruiter
- Department of Psychology, School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University, Medford MA, USA
| | - Stephen C Levinson
- Language and Cognition Department, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud UniversityNijmegen, Netherlands
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37
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Rolke B, Festl F, Seibold VC. Toward the influence of temporal attention on the selection of targets in a visual search task: An ERP study. Psychophysiology 2016; 53:1690-1701. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Rolke
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Freya Festl
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
| | - Verena C. Seibold
- Evolutionary Cognition, Department of Psychology; University of Tübingen; Tübingen Germany
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38
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Kamp SM, Potts GF, Donchin E. On the roles of distinctiveness and semantic expectancies in episodic encoding of emotional words. Psychophysiology 2015; 52:1599-609. [DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2015] [Accepted: 08/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Siri-Maria Kamp
- Department of Psychology; Saarland University; Saarbrücken Germany
| | - Geoffrey F. Potts
- Department of Psychology; University of South Florida; Tampa Florida USA
| | - Emanuel Donchin
- Department of Psychology; University of South Florida; Tampa Florida USA
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39
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Effects of rhythmic stimulus presentation on oscillatory brain activity: the physiology of cueing in Parkinson's disease. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2015; 9:300-9. [PMID: 26509117 PMCID: PMC4579287 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2015] [Revised: 08/11/2015] [Accepted: 08/27/2015] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The basal ganglia play an important role in beat perception and patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) are impaired in perception of beat-based rhythms. Rhythmic cues are nonetheless beneficial in gait rehabilitation, raising the question how rhythm improves movement in PD. We addressed this question with magnetoencephalography recordings during a choice response task with rhythmic and non-rhythmic modes of stimulus presentation. Analyses focused on (i) entrainment of slow oscillations, (ii) the depth of beta power modulation, and (iii) whether a gain in modulation depth of beta power, due to rhythmicity, is of predictive or reactive nature. The results show weaker phase synchronisation of slow oscillations and a relative shift from predictive to reactive movement-related beta suppression in PD. Nonetheless, rhythmic stimulus presentation increased beta modulation depth to the same extent in patients and controls. Critically, this gain selectively increased the predictive and not reactive movement-related beta power suppression. Operation of a predictive mechanism, induced by rhythmic stimulation, was corroborated by a sensory gating effect in the sensorimotor cortex. The predictive mode of cue utilisation points to facilitation of basal ganglia-premotor interactions, contrasting with the popular view that rhythmic stimulation confers a special advantage in PD, based on recruitment of alternative pathways. We investigate how rhythmic cues improve movement in Parkinson’s disease MEG-recorded slow and fast oscillatory activity was analysed Predictive modulation of beta oscillations was reduced in PD patients Yet rhythmicity promoted a predictive mode of cue utilization and beta modulation Results point to a facilitation of basal ganglia-cortical interaction in rhythmic cueing
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40
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Kononowicz TW, Sander T, van Rijn H. Neuroelectromagnetic signatures of the reproduction of supra-second durations. Neuropsychologia 2015; 75:201-13. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2015] [Revised: 05/06/2015] [Accepted: 06/01/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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41
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Human scalp potentials reflect a mixture of decision-related signals during perceptual choices. J Neurosci 2015; 34:16877-89. [PMID: 25505339 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.3012-14.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Single-unit animal studies have consistently reported decision-related activity mirroring a process of temporal accumulation of sensory evidence to a fixed internal decision boundary. To date, our understanding of how response patterns seen in single-unit data manifest themselves at the macroscopic level of brain activity obtained from human neuroimaging data remains limited. Here, we use single-trial analysis of human electroencephalography data to show that population responses on the scalp can capture choice-predictive activity that builds up gradually over time with a rate proportional to the amount of sensory evidence, consistent with the properties of a drift-diffusion-like process as characterized by computational modeling. Interestingly, at time of choice, scalp potentials continue to appear parametrically modulated by the amount of sensory evidence rather than converging to a fixed decision boundary as predicted by our model. We show that trial-to-trial fluctuations in these response-locked signals exert independent leverage on behavior compared with the rate of evidence accumulation earlier in the trial. These results suggest that in addition to accumulator signals, population responses on the scalp reflect the influence of other decision-related signals that continue to covary with the amount of evidence at time of choice.
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42
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Timing the events of directional cueing. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 79:1009-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0635-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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43
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Koppe G, Gruppe H, Sammer G, Gallhofer B, Kirsch P, Lis S. Temporal unpredictability of a stimulus sequence affects brain activation differently depending on cognitive task demands. Neuroimage 2014; 101:236-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Revised: 05/12/2014] [Accepted: 07/07/2014] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
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44
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Los SA, Kruijne W, Meeter M. Outlines of a multiple trace theory of temporal preparation. Front Psychol 2014; 5:1058. [PMID: 25285088 PMCID: PMC4168672 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
We outline a new multiple trace theory of temporal preparation (MTP), which accounts for behavior in reaction time (RT) tasks in which the participant is presented with a warning stimulus (S1) followed by a target stimulus (S2) that requires a speeded response. The theory assumes that during the foreperiod (FP; the S1–S2 interval) inhibition is applied to prevent premature response, while a wave of activation occurs upon the presentation of S2. On each trial, these actions are stored in a separate memory trace, which, jointly with earlier formed memory traces, starts contributing to preparation on subsequent trials. We show that MTP accounts for classic effects in temporal preparation, including mean RT–FP functions observed under a variety of FP distributions and asymmetric sequential effects. We discuss the advantages of MTP over other accounts of these effects (trace-conditioning and hazard-based explanations) and suggest a critical experiment to empirically distinguish among them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander A Los
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wouter Kruijne
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Martijn Meeter
- Department of Cognitive Psychology, VU University Amsterdam Amsterdam, Netherlands
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45
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Nonspecific competition underlies transient attention. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 79:844-60. [PMID: 25187215 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0605-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 08/21/2014] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Cueing a target by abrupt visual stimuli enhances its perception in a rapid but short-lived fashion, an effect known as transient attention. Our recent study showed that when targets are cued at a constant, central location, the emergence of the transient performance pattern was dependent on the presence of competing distractors, whereas targets presented in isolation were enhanced in a sustained manner (Wilschut et al., PLoS ONE, 6:e27661, 2011). The current study examined in more detail whether the transience depends on the specific nature of the competition. We first replicated and extended the competition-dependent transient pattern for peripheral and variable target locations. We then investigated the role of feature similarity, compatibility, and proximity. Both competition by feature similarity and compatibility between the target and distractors were found to impair performance, but effects were additive with the effects of the cueing interval and did not change the transient performance function. Varying the spatial distance between target and distractors yielded mixed evidence, but here too a transient pattern could be observed for targets flanked by both close and far distractors. The results thus show that the presence or absence of competition determines whether attention appears transient or sustained, while the specific nature of the competition (in terms of location or feature) affects selection independent of time.
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46
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Seibold VC, Rolke B. Does temporal preparation facilitate visual processing in a selective manner? Evidence from attentional capture. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2014; 151:51-61. [PMID: 24950348 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2014.05.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Revised: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study addressed the question of whether temporal preparation influences perceptual stimulus processing in a selective manner. In three visual search experiments, we examined whether temporal preparation aids spatial selection and thus reduces distraction caused by the onset of a task-irrelevant item. In each trial, participants had to detect a target amongst five non-targets and report a basic feature of the target. In some trials, an additional task-irrelevant singleton item (abrupt onset) appeared on the screen which distracted attention away from the target. To manipulate the degree of distraction, we varied the spatial distance and the stimulus-onset asynchrony between target and singleton. Temporal preparation for the target varied by means of constant foreperiods of different lengths. Though we observed overall faster responding in the case of high temporal preparation in all three experiments, temporal preparation did not reduce spatial distraction by the abrupt onset, even when the spatial position of the target was predictable. In sum, this pattern of results does not provide support for an influence of temporal preparation on spatial selection. Instead, it indicates that temporal preparation affects early visual processing in a non-selective manner.
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47
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Xu L, Sommer W, Masaki H. The structure of motor programming: evidence from reaction times and lateralized readiness potentials. Psychophysiology 2014; 52:149-55. [PMID: 25082470 DOI: 10.1111/psyp.12296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2014] [Accepted: 06/28/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
There is a widely accepted notion that movement elements are assembled prior to movement execution in a central motor programming stage. However, it is not clear how this stage is structured-whether it is a unitary stage allowing different motor parameters to cross talk or whether there are several independent processes dealing with each motor parameter. We addressed this question by orthogonally manipulating two movement-related factors: response sequence complexity and movement duration. Both factors yielded main effects on reaction time but no interaction. Additive effects of both factors on the onsets of response- but not stimulus-synchronized lateralized readiness potentials suggest separable motoric loci of sequence complexity and duration. These findings are at variance with the notion of a unitary movement programming stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Xu
- Graduate School of Sport Sciences, Waseda University, Saitama, Japan; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
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48
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Boehm U, van Maanen L, Forstmann B, van Rijn H. Trial-by-trial fluctuations in CNV amplitude reflect anticipatory adjustment of response caution. Neuroimage 2014; 96:95-105. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2014.03.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2013] [Revised: 03/03/2014] [Accepted: 03/25/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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49
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Heideman SG, te Woerd ES, Praamstra P. Rhythmic entrainment of slow brain activity preceding leg movements. Clin Neurophysiol 2014; 126:348-55. [PMID: 24929902 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2014.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2013] [Revised: 03/08/2014] [Accepted: 04/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The time course of the contingent negative variation (CNV) as well as beta-power are known to entrain to regular task rhythms, revealing implicit anticipatory timing. Thus far, these effects have been established for manual responses only. Here we investigate entrainment preceding leg movements. METHODS High-density EEG was recorded while participants were standing and responded to series of rhythmically presented arrow stimuli by making brisk leg movements. The standard interval between reaction stimuli differed between series and was either 1500 or 2000 ms. Each series' final interval was 1750 ms, representing a timing perturbation. RESULTS Entrainment was manifested in the CNV time course, where the maximum amplitude was reached just before the next stimulus was presented. The pattern of beta-(de)synchronization similarly entrained to the task rhythm. CNV scalp topographies suggested effector dependency of the entrainment-induced CNV. CONCLUSION We demonstrate that lower limb motor control, like upper limb control, readily entrains to a regular task rhythm. SIGNIFICANCE These findings are relevant to Parkinson's disease (PD), where problems are found in rhythm processing and temporal preparation. Investigation of the neural correlates of leg movement entrainment is important in view of presumed relations between entrainment and cueing of gait in PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone G Heideman
- Department of Neurology, RadboudUMC, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Oxford Centre for Human Brain Activity, Dept. of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford, UK
| | - Erik S te Woerd
- Department of Neurology, RadboudUMC, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Peter Praamstra
- Department of Neurology, RadboudUMC, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands; Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition, and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen, Netherlands.
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Task predictability influences the variable foreperiod effect: evidence of task-specific temporal preparation. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2014; 79:230-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-014-0550-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2013] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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