1
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Anderson BA. An examination of the motivation to manage distraction. Cognition 2024; 250:105862. [PMID: 38880064 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2024.105862] [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: 02/17/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Individuals exhibit limited awareness of when their attention is captured by salient but irrelevant stimuli, and it has long been argued that involuntary attentional capture by such stimuli is minimally disruptive to information processing. Yet, robust mechanisms of distractor suppression are hypothesized to support the control of attention, which presumably serve in the interest of managing distraction. In the present study, I examine whether participants are aware of the cost of distraction with respect to task performance, and whether they are motivated to manage this cost even when it is effortful to do so. Across three experiments, participants were willing to exert physical effort in order to reduce the frequency with which they encountered physically salient distractors, and in a fourth experiment tended to prefer trials with fewer distractors when given a choice over distractor frequency. Importantly, the amount of physical effort exerted varied as a function of the degree to which task-irrelevant distractors impaired search performance, suggesting that people are sensitive to the cost of distraction.
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Shende SA, Jones SE, Mudar RA. Alpha and theta oscillations on a visual strategic processing task in age-related hearing loss. Front Neurosci 2024; 18:1382613. [PMID: 39086839 PMCID: PMC11289776 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1382613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Emerging evidence suggests changes in several cognitive control processes in individuals with age-related hearing loss (ARHL). However, value-directed strategic processing, which involves selectively processing salient information based on high value, has been relatively unexplored in ARHL. Our previous work has shown behavioral changes in strategic processing in individuals with ARHL. The current study examined event-related alpha and theta oscillations linked to a visual, value-directed strategic processing task in 19 individuals with mild untreated ARHL and 17 normal hearing controls of comparable age and education. Methods Five unique word lists were presented where words were assigned high- or low-value based on the letter case, and electroencephalography (EEG) data was recorded during task performance. Results The main effect of the group was observed in early time periods. Specifically, greater theta synchronization was seen in the ARHL group relative to the control group. Interaction between group and value was observed at later time points, with greater theta synchronization for high- versus low-value information in those with ARHL. Discussion Our findings provide evidence for oscillatory changes tied to a visual task of value-directed strategic processing in individuals with mild untreated ARHL. This points towards modality-independent neurophysiological changes in cognitive control in individuals with mild degrees of ARHL and adds to the rapidly growing literature on the cognitive consequences of ARHL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shraddha A. Shende
- Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, United States
| | - Sarah E. Jones
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
| | - Raksha A. Mudar
- Department of Speech and Hearing Science, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, United States
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3
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Melugin PR, Nolan SO, Kandov E, Ferrara CF, Farahbakhsh ZZ, Siciliano CA. Medial prefrontal dopamine dynamics reflect allocation of selective attention. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.04.583245. [PMID: 38496533 PMCID: PMC10942305 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.04.583245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
The mesocortical dopamine system is comprised of midbrain dopamine neurons that predominantly innervate the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and exert a powerful neuromodulatory influence over this region 1,2 . mPFC dopamine activity is thought to be critical for fundamental neurobiological processes including valence coding and decision-making 3,4 . Despite enduring interest in this pathway, the stimuli and conditions that engage mPFC dopamine release have remained enigmatic due to inherent limitations in conventional methods for dopamine monitoring which have prevented real-time in vivo observation 5 . Here, using a fluorescent dopamine sensor enabling time-resolved recordings of cortical dopamine activity in freely behaving mice, we reveal the coding properties of this system and demonstrate that mPFC dopamine dynamics conform to a selective attention signal. Contrary to the long-standing theory that mPFC dopamine release preferentially encodes aversive and stressful events 6-8 , we observed robust dopamine responses to both appetitive and aversive stimuli which dissipated with increasing familiarity irrespective of stimulus intensity. We found that mPFC dopamine does not evolve as a function of learning but displays striking temporal precedence with second-to-second changes in behavioral engagement, suggesting a role in allocation of attentional resources. Systematic manipulation of attentional demand revealed that quieting of mPFC dopamine signals the allocation of attentional resources towards an expected event which, upon detection triggers a sharp dopamine transient marking the transition from decision-making to action. The proposed role of mPFC dopamine as a selective attention signal is the first model based on direct observation of time-resolved dopamine dynamics and reconciles decades of competing theories.
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Stanković M, Müller HJ, Shi Z. Task-irrelevant valence-preferred colors boost visual search for a singleton-shape target. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2024; 88:417-437. [PMID: 37819500 PMCID: PMC10858139 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-023-01880-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Some studies have suggested that emotion-associated features might influence attentional capture. However, demonstrating valence-dependent distractor interference has proven challenging, possibly due to the neglect of individuals' color-valence preferences in standard, averaged reaction-time (RT) measures. To address this, we investigated valence-driven attentional-capture using an association phase in which emotionally neutral vs. positive-feedback photographs were paired with two alternative target colors, red vs. green. This was followed by a test phase requiring participants to search for a pop-out shape target in the presence or absence of an emotion-associated color. In Experiments 1 and 2, this color could only appear in a distractor, while in Experiment 3, it appeared in the target. Analyzing the standard, averaged RT measures, we found no significant valence association or valence-modulated attentional capture. However, correlational analyses revealed a positive relationship between individual participants' color-valence preference during the association phase and their valence-based effect during the test phase. Moreover, most individuals favored red over green in the association phase, leading to marked color-related asymmetries in the average measures. Crucially, the presence of the valence-preferred color anywhere in the test display facilitated RTs. This effect persisted even when the color appeared in one of the distractors (Experiments 1 and 2), at variance with this distractor capturing attention. These findings suggest that task-irrelevant valence-preferred color signals were registered pre-attentively and boosted performance, likely by raising the general (non-spatial) alertness level. However, these signals were likely kept out of attentional-priority computation to prevent inadvertent attentional capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miloš Stanković
- General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany.
| | - Hermann J Müller
- General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Zhuanghua Shi
- General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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5
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Mora Álvarez MG, Hölzel BK, Bremer B, Wilhelm M, Hell E, Tavacioglu EE, Koch K, Torske A. Effects of web-based mindfulness training on psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplasticity. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22635. [PMID: 38114554 PMCID: PMC10730881 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-48706-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation training (MMT) reliably reduces stress and anxiety while also improving attention. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between MMT, stress and anxiety reduction, and its impact upon improvements in attention on the behavioral and neuronal levels. As a second aim, we sought to explore any relationship between MMT, attention, and modified states of mind such as flow. 118 healthy, meditation-naïve, participants were either assigned to a 31-day, web-based, MMT or an active control, health training (HT). Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging while performing the attention network test (ANT) to assess functional and behavioural attentional changes, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to assess microstructural neuronal changes and completed relevant questionnaires to explore changes in psychological outcomes. Results confirmed a reduction in perceived stress and anxiety levels in the MMT group and significant improvements in the overall reaction time during the ANT, albeit no specific effects on the attentional components were observed. No statistically significant changes were found in the HT group. Interestingly, a significant group-by-time interaction was seen in flow experience. Functional data exhibited an increased activity in the superior frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and right hippocampus during the alerting condition of the ANT after the MMT; decreased stress and trait anxiety were significantly correlated with the activation in the right hippocampus, and increased flow was also significantly correlated with all the aforementioned areas. DTI data showed increased fractional anisotropy values in the right uncinate fasciculus indicating white matter microarchitecture improvement between the right hippocampus and frontal areas of the brain. This study, therefore, demonstrates the effectiveness of web-based MMT on overall well-being and attentional performance, while also providing insight into the relationship between psychological outcomes, attention, and neuroplastic changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Guadalupe Mora Álvarez
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
| | - Britta Karen Hölzel
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Benno Bremer
- Department of Neurology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maximilian Wilhelm
- Center for Psychotherapy Research, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elena Hell
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Ebru Ecem Tavacioglu
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Munich, Germany
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Kathrin Koch
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Alyssa Torske
- Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Neuroradiology, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- TUM-Neuroimaging Center (TUM-NIC), Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians Universität München, Martinsried, Germany
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6
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Kang S, Osinsky R. The influence of single-session reward-based attentional bias modification on attentional biases towards threat as measured by the N2pc component. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1279311. [PMID: 38054167 PMCID: PMC10694235 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1279311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Attentional biases toward threatening faces have repeatedly been studied in the context of social anxiety, with etiological theories suggesting exacerbated biases as a possible cause for the latter. To counteract these postulated effects, research has focused on the concept of attentional bias manipulation (ABM), in which spatial contingencies between succeeding stimuli are traditionally employed in training paradigms designed to deliberately shift automatic attention processes away from threat-related stimuli. The ABM research field has been faced with various methodological challenges, such as inconsistent results, low reliabilities of dependent variables and a high susceptibility to moderating factors. We aimed to combine several recent approaches to address these issues. Drawing upon theories of value-driven attention, we explored reward-based contingencies in a Dot Probe task to improve the training's efficacy, combined with neurophysiological measures for greater reliability compared to reaction times, while evaluating the moderating effect of explicitness in the instruction. In a healthy sample (N = 60) and within a single session, we found a general attentional bias toward angry faces present across all conditions as indicated by the N2pc, which was, however, marked by large intrinsic lateralization effects, with submeasures exhibiting opposing polarities. This prompted us to explore an alternative, intrahemispheric calculation method. The new N2pc variant showed the attentional bias to have disappeared at the end of the training session within the explicit instruction group. Reliabilities of the main dependent variables were varied from excellent to questionable, which, together with the exploratory nature of the analysis, leaves this result as preliminary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan Kang
- Department of Psychology, School of Human Sciences, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany
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7
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Glickman M, Sela T, Usher M, Levy DJ. The effect of perceptual organization on numerical and preference-based decisions shows inter-subject correlation. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1410-1421. [PMID: 36625990 PMCID: PMC10482786 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-022-02234-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Individual differences in cognitive processing have been the subject of intensive research. One important type of such individual differences is the tendency for global versus local processing, which was shown to correlate with a wide range of processing differences in fields such as decision making, social judgments and creativity. Yet, whether these global/local processing tendencies are correlated within a subject across different domains is still an open question. To address this question, we develop and test a novel method to quantify global/local processing tendencies, in which we directly set in opposition the local and global information instead of instructing subjects to specifically attend to one processing level. We apply our novel method to two different domains: (1) a numerical cognition task, and (2) a preference task. Using computational modeling, we accounted for classical effects in choice and numerical-cognition. Global/local tendencies in both tasks were quantified using a salience parameter. Critically, the salience parameters extracted from the numerical cognition and preference tasks were highly correlated, providing support for robust perceptual organization tendencies within an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Glickman
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, University College London, London, UK
| | - Tal Sela
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Kinneret Academic College, Tzemach, Israel
| | - Marius Usher
- The School of Psychological Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Dino J. Levy
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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8
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Vakhrushev R, Cheng FPH, Schacht A, Pooresmaeili A. Differential effects of intra-modal and cross-modal reward value on perception: ERP evidence. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287900. [PMID: 37390067 PMCID: PMC10313067 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023] Open
Abstract
In natural environments objects comprise multiple features from the same or different sensory modalities but it is not known how perception of an object is affected by the value associations of its constituent parts. The present study compares intra- and cross-modal value-driven effects on behavioral and electrophysiological correlates of perception. Human participants first learned the reward associations of visual and auditory cues. Subsequently, they performed a visual discrimination task in the presence of previously rewarded, task-irrelevant visual or auditory cues (intra- and cross-modal cues, respectively). During the conditioning phase, when reward associations were learned and reward cues were the target of the task, high value stimuli of both modalities enhanced the electrophysiological correlates of sensory processing in posterior electrodes. During the post-conditioning phase, when reward delivery was halted and previously rewarded stimuli were task-irrelevant, cross-modal value significantly enhanced the behavioral measures of visual sensitivity, whereas intra-modal value produced only an insignificant decrement. Analysis of the simultaneously recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) of posterior electrodes revealed similar findings. We found an early (90-120 ms) suppression of ERPs evoked by high-value, intra-modal stimuli. Cross-modal stimuli led to a later value-driven modulation, with an enhancement of response positivity for high- compared to low-value stimuli starting at the N1 window (180-250 ms) and extending to the P3 (300-600 ms) responses. These results indicate that sensory processing of a compound stimulus comprising a visual target and task-irrelevant visual or auditory cues is modulated by the reward value of both sensory modalities, but such modulations rely on distinct underlying mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roman Vakhrushev
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Felicia Pei-Hsin Cheng
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Anne Schacht
- Affective Neuroscience and Psychophysiology Laboratory, Georg-Elias-Müller-Institute of Psychology, Georg-August University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Arezoo Pooresmaeili
- Perception and Cognition Lab, European Neuroscience Institute Goettingen- A Joint Initiative of the University Medical Center Goettingen and the Max-Planck-Society, Goettingen, Germany
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9
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Moneta N, Garvert MM, Heekeren HR, Schuck NW. Task state representations in vmPFC mediate relevant and irrelevant value signals and their behavioral influence. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3156. [PMID: 37258534 PMCID: PMC10232498 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38709-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The ventromedial prefrontal-cortex (vmPFC) is known to contain expected value signals that inform our choices. But expected values even for the same stimulus can differ by task. In this study, we asked how the brain flexibly switches between such value representations in a task-dependent manner. Thirty-five participants alternated between tasks in which either stimulus color or motion predicted rewards. We show that multivariate vmPFC signals contain a rich representation that includes the current task state or context (motion/color), the associated expected value, and crucially, the irrelevant value of the alternative context. We also find that irrelevant value representations in vmPFC compete with relevant value signals, interact with task-state representations and relate to behavioral signs of value competition. Our results shed light on vmPFC's role in decision making, bridging between its role in mapping observations onto the task states of a mental map, and computing expected values for multiple states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nir Moneta
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mona M Garvert
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hauke R Heekeren
- Einstein Center for Neurosciences Berlin, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Nicolas W Schuck
- Max Planck Research Group NeuroCode, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Max Planck UCL Centre for Computational Psychiatry and Ageing Research, Berlin, 14195, Berlin, Germany.
- Institute of Psychology, Universität Hamburg, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
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10
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Grassi F, Semmelhack EA, Ruge J, Schacht A. On the dynamics of gain and loss: Electrophysiological evidence from associative learning. Biol Psychol 2023; 180:108588. [PMID: 37224938 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2023.108588] [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: 12/22/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Associated relevance affects the sensory encoding of low-level visual features of symbolic stimuli. It is unclear, however, which dimension of low-level visual features benefits from prioritized processing, and how these effects develop throughout the course of relevance acquisition. Moreover, previous evidence is inconclusive regarding the preservation of processing advantage once the association is no longer relevant, as well as its generalization to perceptually similar but novel stimuli. The present study addresses these questions by employing an associative learning paradigm. In two experiments (N = 24 each, between-subject design), different dimensions of low-level visual features of symbolic stimuli were associated with monetary gain, loss, or zero outcome. In a consecutive old/new decision task, associated stimuli were presented together with perceptually similar but novel stimuli. Event-related brain potentials (P1, EPN, LPC) were measured throughout both sessions. Early sensory encoding (P1) was boosted by loss association and appeared to be sensitive to the dimension of the associated low-level visual features. Gain association influenced post-perceptual processing stages (LPC), arising over the course of the learning phase, and are preserved even when the associated outcome was no longer relevant. Gain association also resulted in EPN modulations similar to the effects observed in the case of emotional words. None of the observed effects generalized to perceptually similar stimuli. These results show that acquired relevance can influence the sensory processing of specific dimensions of low-level visual features. Moreover, this study extends previous evidence of a dissociation of early and late neural effects of associated motivational relevance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Grassi
- Department for Cognition, Emotion and Behavior, Institute for Psychology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen.
| | - Esther A Semmelhack
- Department for Cognition, Emotion and Behavior, Institute for Psychology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen
| | - Julia Ruge
- Department for Cognition, Emotion and Behavior, Institute for Psychology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen; Department of Systems Neuroscience, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf
| | - Anne Schacht
- Department for Cognition, Emotion and Behavior, Institute for Psychology, Georg-August-University of Goettingen
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11
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Müller P, Wentura D. Undeserved reward but not inevitable loss biases attention: Personal control moderates evaluative attentional biases in the additional-singleton paradigm. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:888-904. [PMID: 35466816 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221099125] [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] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
It is important for organisms to notice signals of opportunities (i.e., chances for performance-dependent reward) and dangers (i.e., performance-dependent risks of loss). Attentional biases towards opportunity and danger signals should therefore be functionally valuable. By contrast, the functional value of attentional biases towards signals of performance-independent (i.e., uncontrollable) rewards or losses is not obvious. The present study compares attentional biases towards positive and negative stimuli, depending on whether the stimuli signal performance-dependent or performance-independent reward or loss. Specifically, we induced colour-valence associations before engaging participants in an additional-singleton task that measures attentional bias. In the valence-induction phase, one colour signalled a potential reward, and another colour signalled a potential loss; importantly, in one group, rewards and losses were performance-dependent, whereas in another group, they were performance-independent (i.e., seemingly random). In the subsequent additional-singleton task, we found increased additional-singleton effects for colours associated with performance-dependent rewards and losses (i.e., opportunities and dangers). If, however, rewards and losses were performance-independent, the singleton effect was enhanced only for reward but not loss stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp Müller
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
- DFKI GmbH, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Dirk Wentura
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioral Sciences, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
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12
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Automatic and controlled attentional orienting toward emotional faces in patients with Parkinson's disease. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2023; 23:371-382. [PMID: 36759426 PMCID: PMC10050058 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-023-01069-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative motor disorder that can associate with deficits in cognitive and emotional processing. In particular, PD has been reported to be mainly associated with defects in executive control and orienting attentional systems. The deficit in emotional processing mainly emerged in facial expression recognition. It is possible that the defects in emotional processing in PD may be secondary to other cognitive impairments, such as attentional deficits. This study was designed to systematically investigate the different weight of automatic and controlled attentional orienting mechanisms implied in emotional selective attention in PD. To address our purpose, we assessed drug-naïve PD patients and age-matched healthy controls with two dot-probe tasks that differed for stimuli duration. Automatic and controlled attentions were evaluated with stimuli lasting 100 ms and 500 ms, respectively. Furthermore, we introduced an emotion recognition task to investigate the performance in explicit emotion classification. The stimuli used in both the tasks dot-probe and emotion recognition were expressive faces displaying neutral, disgusted, fearful, and happy expressions.Our results showed that in PD patients, compared with healthy controls, there was 1) an alteration of automatic and controlled attentional orienting toward emotional faces in both the dot-probe tasks (with short and long durations), and 2) no difference in the emotion recognition task. These findings suggest that, from the early stages of the disease, PD can yield specific deficits in implicit emotion processing task (i.e., dot-probe task) despite a normal performance in explicit tasks that demand overt emotion recognition.
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Top-down knowledge surpasses selection history in influencing attentional guidance. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:985-1011. [PMID: 36694074 PMCID: PMC10167147 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02648-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Visual attention is influenced by the characteristics of the stimuli (bottom-up), their task relevance (top-down), and prior experience (e.g., selection history and learning). However, it is largely unclear how learning and selection history interact with top-down attentional guidance. We combined trial-and-error learning with a spatial cueing protocol to test whether previously learned target-defining features continued to capture attention if participants were instructed to search for a new target feature (Experiment 1) or had to learn a new target feature (Experiment 2). It turned out that the previously learned feature quickly stopped capturing attention when the target feature changed (Experiment 1; even before participants learned the new target-defining feature, in Experiment 2). Finally, in Experiment 3, in which participants learned to search for targets defined by two redundant features (color and orientation), we found possible reasons for the dominance of the instructed feature over learning. Participants reported using only the target color for their search. Consequently, only cues with a target color captured attention. The unused target orientation only captured attention in participants aware of both target-defining features (13 out of 23) and only if the orientation was presented in the target color. We conclude that knowledge of target-defining features and their use as search criterion is critical for attentional guidance, while previously learned target features either influence attentional guidance only contingent on such deliberately selected top-down based attentional control settings or may influence visual search but not attentional guidance.
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14
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Using expectation violation models to improve the outcome of psychological treatments. Clin Psychol Rev 2022; 98:102212. [PMID: 36371900 DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2022.102212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Expectations are a central maintaining mechanism in mental disorders and most psychological treatments aim to directly or indirectly modify clinically relevant expectations. Therefore, it is crucial to examine why patients with mental disorders maintain dysfunctional expectations, even in light of disconfirming evidence, and how expectation-violating situations should be created in treatment settings to optimize treatment outcome and reduce the risk of treatment failures. The different psychological subdisciplines offer various approaches for understanding the underlying mechanisms of expectation development, persistence, and change. Here, we convey recommendations on how to improve psychological treatments by considering these different perspectives. Based on our expectation violation model, we argue that the outcome of expectation violation depends on several characteristics: features of the expectation-violating situation; the dynamics between the magnitude of expectation violation and cognitive immunization processes; dealing with uncertainties during and after expectation change; controlled and automatic attention processes; and the costs of expectation changes. Personality factors further add to predict outcomes and may offer a basis for personalized treatment planning. We conclude with a list of recommendations derived from basic psychology that could contribute to improved treatment outcome and to reduced risks of treatment failures.
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15
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Grégoire L, Mrkonja L, Anderson BA. Cross-modal generalization of value-based attentional priority. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:2423-2431. [PMID: 35978217 PMCID: PMC9633543 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02551-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: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to determine whether value-based attentional biases learned in the auditory domain can correspondingly shape visual attention. A learning phase established associations between auditory words and monetary rewards via a modified version of the dichotic listening task. In a subsequent test phase, participants performed a Stroop task including written representations of auditory words previously paired with reward and semantic associates of formerly rewarded words. Results support a semantic generalization of value-driven attention from the auditory to the visual domain. The findings provide valuable insight into a critical aspect of adaptation and the understanding of maladaptive behaviors (e.g., addiction).
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Grégoire
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4235, USA.
| | - Lana Mrkonja
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4235, USA
| | - Brian A Anderson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, 4235 TAMU, College Station, TX, 77843-4235, USA
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16
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Hong I, Kim MS. Habit-like attentional bias is unlike goal-driven attentional bias against spatial updating. Cogn Res Princ Implic 2022; 7:50. [PMID: 35713814 PMCID: PMC9206057 DOI: 10.1186/s41235-022-00404-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Statistical knowledge of a target’s location may benefit visual search, and rapidly understanding the changes in regularity would increase the adaptability in visual search situations where fast and accurate performance is required. The current study tested the sources of statistical knowledge—explicitly-given instruction or experience-driven learning—and whether they affect the speed and location spatial attention is guided. Participants performed a visual search task with a statistical regularity to bias one quadrant (“old-rich” condition) in the training phase, followed by another quadrant (“new-rich” condition) in the switching phase. The “instruction” group was explicitly instructed on the regularity, whereas the “no-instruction” group was not. It was expected that the instruction group would rely on goal-driven attention (using regularities with explicit top-down knowledge), and the no-instruction group would rely on habit-like attention (learning regularities through repetitive experiences) in visual search. Compared with the no-instruction group, the instruction group readjusted spatial attention following the regularity switch more rapidly. The instruction group showed greater attentional bias toward the new-rich quadrant than the old-rich quadrant; however, the no-instruction group showed a similar extent of attentional bias to two rich quadrants. The current study suggests that the source of statistical knowledge can affect attentional allocation. Moreover, habit-like attention, a different type of attentional source than goal-driven attention, is relatively implicit and inflexible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Injae Hong
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Yonsei-ro 50 Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Korea
| | - Min-Shik Kim
- Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Yonsei-ro 50 Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Korea.
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17
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Beyond the Smartphone's mere presence effect: A quantitative mobile eye tracking study on the visual and internal distraction potential of smartphones. COMPUTERS IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2022.107333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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18
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Nair IR, Bhasin G, Roy D. Hippocampus Maintains a Coherent Map Under Reward Feature-Landmark Cue Conflict. Front Neural Circuits 2022; 16:878046. [PMID: 35558552 PMCID: PMC9086833 DOI: 10.3389/fncir.2022.878046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals predominantly use salient visual cues (landmarks) for efficient navigation. When the relative position of the visual cues is altered, the hippocampal population exhibits heterogeneous responses and constructs context-specific spatial maps. Another critical factor that can strongly modulate spatial representation is the presence of reward. Reward features can drive behavior and are known to bias spatial attention. However, it is unclear whether reward features are used for spatial reference in the presence of distal cues and how the hippocampus population dynamics changes when the association between reward features and distal cues is altered. We systematically investigated these questions by recording place cells from the CA1 in different sets of experiments while the rats ran in an environment with the conflicting association between reward features and distal cues. We report that, when rewards features were only used as local cues, the hippocampal place fields exhibited coherent and dynamical orientation across sessions, suggesting the use of a single coherent spatial map. We found that place cells maintained their spatial offset in the cue conflict conditions, thus showing a robust spatial coupling featuring an attractor-like property in the CA1. These results indicate that reward features may control the place field orientation but may not cause sufficient input difference to create context-specific spatial maps in the CA1.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guncha Bhasin
- National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), Gurgaon, India
| | - Dipanjan Roy
- Centre for Brain Science and Application (CBSA), School of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (AIDE), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur, Karwar, India
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19
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Yu G, Liu C, Liu X, Wang A, Zhang M. Reward reduces the fission illusion in the sound-induced flash illusion. Perception 2022; 51:388-402. [DOI: 10.1177/03010066221093479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Pairing a single visual stimulus with multiple auditory stimuli will lead to the illusory perception of multiple visual stimuli, which is known as sound-induced flash illusion (SIFI). The present study adopted the classic SIFI paradigm to investigate whether value-associated tasks could affect the SIFI. By adjusting the sequence of reward and nonreward conditions, we also examined the effect of reward history on SIFI. The results showed that the fission illusion was reduced when associated with momentary reward, demonstrating significantly higher accuracy and discriminability than the nonreward condition. However, the fusion illusion was not affected by the momentary reward, and the explanation was that the fusion illusion was not as stable as the fission illusion and disappeared across different trials and conditions. Moreover, the robustness of reward history in the present study was not as strong as previous studies have suggested, indicating that the effect of sound on the perceptual representation of visual stimuli is strong and robust to reward history. These findings demonstrated that the reward could reduce the SIFI and broaden the existing dichotomy of SIFI. New evidence for the operation of value-driven attention mechanisms is also provided, suggesting that the underlying value-driven attention operates across multiple sensory systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaoxin Yu
- Department of Psychology, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chunmei Liu
- Jiangsu Provincial Key Constructive Laboratory for Big Data of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Yancheng Teachers University, Yancheng, China
| | - Xiaole Liu
- Department of Psychology, Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Aijun Wang
- Department of Psychology, Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering In Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Psychology, Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China; Laboratory, Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering In Health Systems, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
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20
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Value-driven effects on perceptual averaging. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:781-794. [PMID: 35138578 PMCID: PMC9001208 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02446-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Perceptual averaging refers to a strategy of encoding the statistical properties of entire sets of objects rather than encoding individual object properties, potentially circumventing the visual system's strict capacity limitations. Prior work has shown that such average representations of set properties, such as its mean size, can be modulated by top-down and bottom-up attention. However, it is unclear to what extent attentional biases through selection history, in the form of value-driven attentional capture, influences this type of summary statistical representation. To investigate, we conducted two experiments in which participants estimated the mean size of a set of heterogeneously sized circles while a previously rewarded color singleton was part of the set. In Experiment 1, all circles were gray, except either the smallest or the largest circle, which was presented in a color previously associated with a reward. When the largest circle in the set was associated with the highest value (as a proxy of selection history), we observed the largest biases, such that perceived mean size scaled linearly with the increasing value of the attended color singleton. In Experiment 2, we introduced a dual-task component in the form of an attentional search task to ensure that the observed bias of reward on perceptual averaging was not fully explained by focusing attention solely on the reward-signaling color singleton. Collectively, findings support the proposal that selection history, like bottom-up and top-down attention, influences perceptual averaging, and that this happens in a flexible manner proportional to the extent to which attention is captured.
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21
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Saito A, Sato W, Yoshikawa S. Rapid detection of neutral faces associated with emotional value among older adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2022; 77:1219-1228. [PMID: 35137048 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbac009] [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: 08/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Previous studies using visual search paradigms have provided inconsistent results regarding rapid detection of emotional faces among older adults. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether the emotional significance of the faces contributes to efficient searches for emotional faces due to the possible confounding effects of visual saliency. We addressed this issue by excluding the influence of visual factors and examined older adults' ability to detect faces with emotional meaning. METHOD We used an associative learning procedure in which neutral faces were paired with monetary reward or punishment, such that the neutral faces acquired positive or negative emotional value. Older participants completed the associative learning task and then engaged in a visual search task, in which previously learned neutral faces were presented as discrepant faces among newly presented neutral distractor faces. Data of young adults from a previous study that used identical experimental procedures were also analyzed. RESULTS Older participants exhibited lower learning ability than young participants. However, older adults who were successful at learning were able to detect neutral faces associated with reward or punishment more rapidly than those without monetary outcomes, similar to the pattern observed for young adults. DISCUSSION The results suggest that acquired emotional value promotes the detection of value-associated neutral faces among older adults who succeed at learning. It is therefore possible that the ability to detect faces that evoke emotions is preserved in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akie Saito
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan
| | - Wataru Sato
- Psychological Process Research Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, 2-2-2 Hikaridai, Seika-cho, Soraku-gun, Kyoto 619-0288, Japan.,Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Sakiko Yoshikawa
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Oiwake-cho, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan.,Faculty of Art and Design, Kyoto University of The Arts, 2-116 Uryuuzan, Kitashirakawa, Sakyo, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
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22
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Wang A, Lu F, Gao W, Zhang T, Zhang M. Reward Weakened Inhibition of Return (IOR) in the Near Depth Plane. Perception 2022; 51:114-130. [PMID: 35098807 DOI: 10.1177/03010066211073855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
In attentional orienting, researchers have proposed that reward history is a component of attentional control, as the reward value might enhance the spatial attention process to achieve more efficient goal-directed behavior and to improve target-detection performance. Although the effect of reward-induced motivation on attentional orienting has been studied in two-dimensional (2-D) space, the specific mechanisms underlying the influence of reward on inhibition of return (IOR) of attentional orienting in three-dimensional space (3-D) remain unclear. In the present study, by incorporating the Posner spatial-cueing paradigm into a virtual 3-D environment, we aimed to investigate the influence of reward on IOR in 3-D space. The results showed the following: (1) IOR size in the rewarded conditions was smaller than IOR size in the unrewarded condition in the near depth plane, resulting in an IOR difference with or without reward. (2) Reward weakened IOR in the near depth plane because the response to the uncued location was delayed, not because the response to the cued location was accelerated. The present study indicated that the different depth planes of the target location in 3-D space could influence the interaction between reward and IOR, and reward weakened IOR in the near depth plane.
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23
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The influence of reward history on goal-directed visual search. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:325-331. [PMID: 35048311 PMCID: PMC8916823 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02435-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
The attentional priority of a stimulus is influenced by both its relationship to task goals and reward history. While experiments probing goal-directed visual search typically dictate which stimuli should receive attentional priority by virtue of highly constrained task demands, individuals in real-world scenarios choose what to search for. In such complex and dynamic environments, it is unclear how reward history might influence the strategic control of attention. In the present study, participants completed a modified version of the Adaptive Choice Visual Search (ACVS) task integrated with the value-driven attentional capture design. In a training phase, participants learned to associate one of two possible target colors with monetary reward. In a subsequent test phase, they completed the ACVS task in which a target in both a previously rewarded and unrewarded color was present on each trial and participants could choose how to search. Our results reveal that participants were biased to voluntarily search through the previously reward-associated color regardless of whether the distribution of stimuli made it optimal to do so, which came at a cost in performance when searching through the previously rewarded color was a suboptimal strategy. In the absence of prior reward training, in contrast, search strategy was inconsistent with respect to color. Our findings provide evidence that reward history biases voluntary search processes.
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24
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Guiding spatial attention by multimodal reward cues. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 84:655-670. [PMID: 34964093 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02422-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Our attention is constantly captured and guided by visual and/or auditory inputs. One key contributor to selecting relevant information from the environment is reward prospect. Intriguingly, while both multimodal signal processing and reward effects on attention have been widely studied, research on multimodal reward signals is lacking. Here, we investigated this using a Posner task featuring peripheral cues of different modalities (audiovisual/visual/auditory), reward prospect (reward/no-reward), and cue-target stimulus-onset asynchronies (SOAs 100-1,300 ms). We found that audiovisual and visual reward cues (but not auditory ones) enhanced cue-validity effects, albeit with different time courses (Experiment 1). While the reward-modulated validity effect of visual cues was pronounced at short SOAs, the effect of audiovisual reward cues emerged at longer SOAs. Follow-up experiments exploring the effects of visual (Experiment 2) and auditory (Experiment 3) reward cues in isolation showed that reward modulated performance only in the visual condition. This suggests that the differential effect of visual and auditory reward cues in Experiment 1 is not merely a result of the mixed cue context, but confirms that visual reward cues have a stronger impact on attentional guidance in this paradigm. Taken together, it seems that adding an auditory reward cue to the inherently dominant visual one led to a shift/extension of the validity effect in time - instead of increasing its amplitude. While generally being in line with a multimodal cuing benefit, this specific pattern highlights that different reward signals are not simply combined in a linear fashion but lead to a qualitatively different process.
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25
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Abstract
Swift detection of faces with emotional meaning underlies fruitful social relationships. Although previous studies using a visual search paradigm have demonstrated rapid detection of emotional facial expressions, whether it is attributable to emotional/motivational significance remains to be clarified. We examined this issue by excluding the influence of visual factors on the rapid detection of faces with emotional meaning. First, participants were engaged in an associative learning task wherein neutral faces were associated with either monetary rewards, monetary punishments, or zero outcome in order for the neutral faces to acquire positive, negative, and no emotional value, respectively. Then, during the visual search task, the participants detected a target-neutral face associated with high reward or punishment from among newly presented neutral faces. In Experiment 1, neutral faces associated with high reward and punishment values were more rapidly detected than those without monetary outcomes. In Experiment 2, highly rewarded and highly punished neutral faces were more rapidly detected than neutral faces associated with low monetary reward/punishment. Analyses of ratings confirmed that the learned neutral faces acquired emotional value, and the reaction times were negatively related to arousal ratings. These results suggest that the emotional/motivational significance promotes the rapid detection of emotional faces.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akie Saito
- Psychological Process Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Wataru Sato
- Psychological Process Team, Guardian Robot Project, RIKEN, Kyoto, Japan.,Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Sakiko Yoshikawa
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.,Faculty of Art and Design, Kyoto University of The Arts, Kyoto, Japan
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26
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Anderson BA, Kim H, Kim AJ, Liao MR, Mrkonja L, Clement A, Grégoire L. The past, present, and future of selection history. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:326-350. [PMID: 34499927 PMCID: PMC8511179 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The last ten years of attention research have witnessed a revolution, replacing a theoretical dichotomy (top-down vs. bottom-up control) with a trichotomy (biased by current goals, physical salience, and selection history). This third new mechanism of attentional control, selection history, is multifaceted. Some aspects of selection history must be learned over time whereas others reflect much more transient influences. A variety of different learning experiences can shape the attention system, including reward, aversive outcomes, past experience searching for a target, target‒non-target relations, and more. In this review, we provide an overview of the historical forces that led to the proposal of selection history as a distinct mechanism of attentional control. We then propose a formal definition of selection history, with concrete criteria, and identify different components of experience-driven attention that fit within this definition. The bulk of the review is devoted to exploring how these different components relate to one another. We conclude by proposing an integrative account of selection history centered on underlying themes that emerge from our review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Anderson
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States.
| | - Haena Kim
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Andy J Kim
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Ming-Ray Liao
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Lana Mrkonja
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
| | - Andrew Clement
- Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, United States
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27
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Siegel ALM, Schwartz ST, Castel AD. Selective memory disrupted in intra-modal dual-task encoding conditions. Mem Cognit 2021; 49:1453-1472. [PMID: 33763815 PMCID: PMC8460703 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-021-01166-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Given natural memory limitations, people can generally attend to and remember high-value over low-value information even when cognitive resources are depleted in older age and under divided attention during encoding, representing an important form of cognitive control. In the current study, we examined whether tasks requiring overlapping processing resources may impair the ability to selectively encode information in dual-task conditions. Participants in the divided-attention conditions of Experiment 1 completed auditory tone-distractor tasks that required them to discriminate between tones of different pitches (audio-nonspatial) or auditory channels (audio-spatial), while studying items in different locations in a grid (visual-spatial) differing in reward value. Results indicated that, while reducing overall memory accuracy, neither cross-modal auditory distractor task influenced participants' ability to selectively encode high-value items relative to a full attention condition, suggesting maintained cognitive control. Participants in Experiment 2 studied the same important visual-spatial information while completing demanding color (visual-nonspatial) or pattern (visual-spatial) discrimination tasks during study. While the cross-modal visual-nonspatial task did not influence memory selectivity, the intra-modal visual-spatial secondary task eliminated participants' sensitivity to item value. These results add novel evidence of conditions of impaired cognitive control, suggesting that the effectiveness of top-down, selective encoding processes is attenuated when concurrent tasks rely on overlapping processing resources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander L M Siegel
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Shawn T Schwartz
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Alan D Castel
- Department of Psychology, University of California, 502 Portola Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
- Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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28
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Pilgrim MJD, Ou ZYA, Sharp M. Exploring reward-related attention selectivity deficits in Parkinson's disease. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18751. [PMID: 34548517 PMCID: PMC8455525 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97526-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An important aspect of managing a limited cognitive resource like attention is to use the reward value of stimuli to prioritize the allocation of attention to higher-value over lower-value stimuli. Recent evidence suggests this depends on dopaminergic signaling of reward. In Parkinson's disease, both reward sensitivity and attention are impaired, but whether these deficits are directly related to one another is unknown. We tested whether Parkinson's patients use reward information when automatically allocating their attention and whether this is modulated by dopamine replacement. We compared patients, tested both ON and OFF dopamine replacement medication, to older controls using a standard attention capture task. First, participants learned the different reward values of stimuli. Then, these reward-associated stimuli were used as distractors in a visual search task. We found that patients were generally distracted by the presence of the distractors but that the degree of distraction caused by the high-value and low-value distractors was similar. Furthermore, we found no evidence to support the possibility that dopamine replacement modulates the effect of reward on automatic attention allocation. Our results suggest a possible inability in Parkinson's patients to use the reward value of stimuli when automatically allocating their attention, and raise the possibility that reward-driven allocation of resources may affect the adaptive modulation of other cognitive processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J D Pilgrim
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Zhen-Yi Andy Ou
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada
| | - Madeleine Sharp
- Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC, H3A 2B4, Canada.
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29
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Wolf C, Lappe M. Vision as oculomotor reward: cognitive contributions to the dynamic control of saccadic eye movements. Cogn Neurodyn 2021; 15:547-568. [PMID: 34367360 PMCID: PMC8286912 DOI: 10.1007/s11571-020-09661-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 12/12/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans and other primates are equipped with a foveated visual system. As a consequence, we reorient our fovea to objects and targets in the visual field that are conspicuous or that we consider relevant or worth looking at. These reorientations are achieved by means of saccadic eye movements. Where we saccade to depends on various low-level factors such as a targets' luminance but also crucially on high-level factors like the expected reward or a targets' relevance for perception and subsequent behavior. Here, we review recent findings how the control of saccadic eye movements is influenced by higher-level cognitive processes. We first describe the pathways by which cognitive contributions can influence the neural oculomotor circuit. Second, we summarize what saccade parameters reveal about cognitive mechanisms, particularly saccade latencies, saccade kinematics and changes in saccade gain. Finally, we review findings on what renders a saccade target valuable, as reflected in oculomotor behavior. We emphasize that foveal vision of the target after the saccade can constitute an internal reward for the visual system and that this is reflected in oculomotor dynamics that serve to quickly and accurately provide detailed foveal vision of relevant targets in the visual field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Wolf
- Institute for Psychology, University of Muenster, Fliednerstrasse 21, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Markus Lappe
- Institute for Psychology, University of Muenster, Fliednerstrasse 21, 48149 Münster, Germany
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30
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Does mobile payment change consumers' perception during payment process? -An ERP study. Neurosci Lett 2021; 762:136138. [PMID: 34324960 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2021.136138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Innovative payment methods have been getting worldwide attention. Exploring the mechanisms behind consumers' purchase behaviors modulated by different payment methods was critical but challenging. In this paper, we proposed a 2 (payment methods: cash payment vs mobile payment) × 2 (price levels of products: high vs low) Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) experiment to study the difference of cash payment and mobile payment on consumers' purchase intention of products in different price level from a neuroscience perspective. Greater P200 amplitude was found in mobile payment condition, which meant that mobile payment captured more early attention resources than cash. Larger N270 amplitude was found in cash payment condition as the participants had to spend more cognitive resources and struggled more when using cash. Moreover, lower N270 amplitude was found in high-price product condition, which indicated that when there were limited cognitive resources, the affective process played a dominating role. Specifically, buying the high-price products with mobile payment, the consumers would experience the pleasure of consumption more rather than the pain of paying. The study offers insights on the cognitive process of consumers when they pay with different methods.
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31
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Abstract
Many studies have revealed that reward-associated features capture attention. Neurophysiological evidence further suggests that this reward-driven attention effect modulates visual processes by enhancing low-level visual salience. However, no behavioral study to date has directly examined whether reward-driven attention changes how people see. Combining the two-phase paradigm with a psychophysical method, the current study found that compared with nonsalient cues associated with lower reward, the nonsalient cues associated with higher reward captured more attention, and increased the perceived contrast of the subsequent stimuli. This is the first direct behavioral evidence of the effect of reward-driven attention on low-level visual perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nan Qin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,Department of Experimental-Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,
| | - Ruolei Gu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,
| | - Jingming Xue
- Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,
| | - Chuansheng Chen
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.,
| | - Mingxia Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, P. R. China.,
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32
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Mylopoulos M. Oops! I Did it Again: The Psychology of Everyday Action Slips. Top Cogn Sci 2021; 14:282-294. [PMID: 34142454 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12552] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2020] [Revised: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
We have all had the experience of everyday mistakes like distractedly pouring orange juice into our cereal bowl rather than the milk or inadvertently continuing on our regular route home rather than stopping at the store as we had planned. These so-called "action slips" (Reason, 1984a) are characterized as failures to execute one's intention arising in habitual or highly learned action sequences. This paper argues that a proper understanding of slips, and thus action more generally, requires an understanding of the control structure that implements an agent's guiding intentions. Central to this structure are motor representations that are active downstream of intention and attentional processes that ensure that they reliably implement the intentions they serve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Myrto Mylopoulos
- Department of Philosophy and Department of Cognitive Science, Carleton University
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33
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Reward impacts visual statistical learning. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 21:1176-1195. [PMID: 34089142 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00920-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Humans automatically detect and remember regularities in the visual environment-a type of learning termed visual statistical learning (VSL). Many aspects of learning from reward resemble VSL in certain respects, yet whether and how reward learning impacts VSL is largely unexamined. In two studies, we found that reward contingencies affect VSL, with high-value associated with stronger behavioral and neural signatures of such learning than low-value images. In Experiment 1, participants learned values (high or low) of images through a trial-and-error risky choice task. Unbeknownst to them, images were paired as four types-High-High, High-Low, Low-High, and Low-Low. In subsequent recognition and reward memory tests, participants chose the more familiar of two pairs (a target and a foil) and recalled the value of images. We found better recognition when the first images of pairs have high-values, with High-High pairs showing the highest recognition rate. In Experiment 2, we provided evidence that both value and statistical contingencies affected brain responses. When we compared responses between the high-value first image and the low-value first image, greater activation in regions that included inferior frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, among other regions, were found. These findings were driven by the interaction between statistically structured information and reward-the same value contrast yielded no regions for second-image contrasts and for singletons. Our results suggest that when reward information is embedded in stimulus-stimulus associations, it may alter the learning process; specifically, the higher-value first image potentially enables better memory for statistically learned pairs and reward information.
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34
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Wiegand I, Wolfe JM. Target value and prevalence influence visual foraging in younger and older age. Vision Res 2021; 186:87-102. [PMID: 34062375 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2021.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The prevalence and reward-value of targets have an influence on visual search. The strength of the effect of an item's reward-value on attentional selection varies substantially between individuals and is potentially sensitive to aging. We investigated individual and age differences in a hybrid foraging task, in which the prevalence and value of multiple target types was varied. Using optimal foraging theory measures, foraging was more efficient overall in younger than older observers. However, the influence of prevalence and value on target selections was similar across age groups, suggesting that the underlying cognitive mechanisms are preserved in older age. When prevalence was varied but target value was balanced, younger and older observers preferably selected the most frequent target type and were biased to select another instance of the previously selected target type. When value was varied, younger and older observers showed a tendency to select high-value targets, but preferences were more diverse between individuals. When value and prevalence were inversely related, some observers showed particularly strong preferences for high-valued target types, while others showed a preference for high-prevalent, albeit low-value, target types. In younger adults, individual differences in the selection choices correlated with a personality index, suggesting that avoiding selections of low-value targets may be related to reward-seeking behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iris Wiegand
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Department of Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Psychology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands; Visual Attention Lab, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Jeremy M Wolfe
- Visual Attention Lab, Brigham & Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Departments of Ophthalmology & Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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35
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Li X, Zhang M, Wu L, Zhang Q, Wei P. Neural Mechanisms of Reward-by-Cueing Interactions: ERP Evidence. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:608427. [PMID: 34045946 PMCID: PMC8145282 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.608427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Inhibition of return (IOR) refers to the phenomenon that a person is slower to respond to targets at a previously cued location. The present study aimed to explore whether target-reward association is subject to IOR, using event-related potentials (ERPs) to explore the underlying neural mechanism. Each participant performed a localization task and a color discrimination task in an exogenous cueing paradigm, with the targets presented in colors (green/red) previously associated with high- or low-reward probability. The results of both tasks revealed that the N1, Nd, and P3 components exhibited differential amplitudes between cued and uncued trials (i.e., IOR) under low reward, with the N1 and Nd amplitudes being enhanced for uncued trials compared to cued trials, and the P3 amplitude being enhanced for cued trials vs. uncued trials. Under high reward, however, no difference was found between the amplitudes on cued and uncued trials for any of the components. These findings demonstrate that targets that were previously associated with high reward can be resistant to IOR and the current results enrich the evidence for interactions between reward-association and attentional orientation in the cueing paradigm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Li
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Meichen Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Lulu Wu
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Qin Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Ping Wei
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition, School of Psychology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Imaging Technology, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China
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36
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Zelinsky GJ, Chen Y, Ahn S, Adeli H, Yang Z, Huang L, Samaras D, Hoai M. Predicting Goal-directed Attention Control Using Inverse-Reinforcement Learning. NEURONS, BEHAVIOR, DATA ANALYSIS, AND THEORY 2021; 2021:10.51628/001c.22322. [PMID: 34164631 PMCID: PMC8218820 DOI: 10.51628/001c.22322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how goals control behavior is a question ripe for interrogation by new methods from machine learning. These methods require large and labeled datasets to train models. To annotate a large-scale image dataset with observed search fixations, we collected 16,184 fixations from people searching for either microwaves or clocks in a dataset of 4,366 images (MS-COCO). We then used this behaviorally-annotated dataset and the machine learning method of inverse-reinforcement learning (IRL) to learn target-specific reward functions and policies for these two target goals. Finally, we used these learned policies to predict the fixations of 60 new behavioral searchers (clock = 30, microwave = 30) in a disjoint test dataset of kitchen scenes depicting both a microwave and a clock (thus controlling for differences in low-level image contrast). We found that the IRL model predicted behavioral search efficiency and fixation-density maps using multiple metrics. Moreover, reward maps from the IRL model revealed target-specific patterns that suggest, not just attention guidance by target features, but also guidance by scene context (e.g., fixations along walls in the search of clocks). Using machine learning and the psychologically meaningful principle of reward, it is possible to learn the visual features used in goal-directed attention control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory J. Zelinsky
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Yupei Chen
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Seoyoung Ahn
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Hossein Adeli
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Zhibo Yang
- Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Lihan Huang
- Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Dimitrios Samaras
- Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Minh Hoai
- Department of Computer Science, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
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37
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Zhao G, Zhuang Q, Ma J, Tu S, Li S. Contextual Cueing Accelerated and Enhanced by Monetary Reward: Evidence From Event-Related Brain Potentials. Front Hum Neurosci 2021; 15:623931. [PMID: 33935668 PMCID: PMC8081838 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2021.623931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The vital role of reward in guiding visual attention has been supported by previous literatures. Here, we examined the motivational impact of monetary reward feedback stimuli on visual attention selection using an event-related potential (ERP) component called stimulus-preceding negativity (SPN) and a standard contextual cueing (CC) paradigm. It has been proposed that SPN reflects affective and motivational processing. We focused on whether incidentally learned context knowledge could be affected by reward. Both behavior and brain data demonstrated that contexts followed by reward feedback not only gave rise to faster implicit learning but also obtained a larger CC effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guang Zhao
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students’ Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China
| | - Qian Zhuang
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Jie Ma
- Research Center of Brain and Cognitive Neuroscience, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, China
| | - Shen Tu
- Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang, China
| | - Shiyi Li
- Key Research Base of Humanities and Social Sciences of the Ministry of Education, Academy of Psychology and Behavior, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Social Science Laboratory of Students’ Mental Development and Learning, Tianjin, China
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38
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Thomson K, Hunter SC, Butler SH, Robertson DJ. Social media 'addiction': The absence of an attentional bias to social media stimuli. J Behav Addict 2021; 10:302-313. [PMID: 33852419 PMCID: PMC8996807 DOI: 10.1556/2006.2021.00011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2020] [Revised: 01/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Social media use has become a ubiquitous part of society, with 3.8 billion users worldwide. While research has shown that there are positive aspects to social media engagement (e.g. feelings of social connectedness and wellbeing), much of the focus has been on the negative mental health outcomes which are associated with excessive use (e.g. higher levels of depression/anxiety). While the evidence to support such negative associations is mixed, there is a growing debate within the literature as to whether excessive levels of social media use should become a clinically defined addictive behaviour. METHODS Here we assess whether one hallmark of addiction, the priority processing of addiction related stimuli known as an 'attentional bias', is evident in a group of social media users (N = 100). Using mock iPhone displays, we test whether social media stimuli preferentially capture users' attention and whether the level of bias can be predicted by platform use (self-report, objective smartphone usage data), and whether it is associated with scores on established measures of social media engagement (SMES) and social media 'addiction' severity scales (BSNAS, SMAQ). RESULTS Our findings do not provide support for a social media specific attentional bias. While there was a large range of individual differences in our measures of use, engagement, and 'addictive' severity, these were not predictive of, or associated with, individual differences in the magnitude of attentional capture by social media stimuli. CONCLUSIONS More research is required before social media use can be definitively placed within an addiction framework.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie Thomson
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde
,
Glasgow
,
UK
| | - Simon C. Hunter
- Department of Psychology, Glasgow Caledonian University
,
Glasgow
,
UK,Graduate School of Education, University of Western Australia
,
Perth
,
Australia
| | - Stephen H. Butler
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde
,
Glasgow
,
UK
| | - David J. Robertson
- School of Psychological Sciences and Health, University of Strathclyde
,
Glasgow
,
UK,
Corresponding author. E-mail:
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39
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Awareness is necessary for attentional biases by location-reward association. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 83:2002-2016. [PMID: 33759117 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02280-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Many studies have reported attentional biases based on feature-reward associations. However, the effects of location-reward associations on attentional selection remain less well-understood. Unlike feature cases, a previous study that induced participants' awareness of the location-reward association by instructing them to look for a high-reward location has suggested the critical role of goal-driven manipulations in such associations. In this study, we investigated whether the reward effect occurred without goal-driven manipulations if participants were spontaneously aware of the location-reward association. We conducted three experiments using a visual search task that included four circles where participants received rewards; one possible target location was associated with a high reward, and another with a low reward. In Experiment 1, the target was presented among distractors, and participants had to search for the target. The results showed a faster reaction time in the high-reward rather than the low-reward locations only in participants aware of the location-reward association, even if they were not required to look for the association. Moreover, in Experiment 2, we replicated the main findings of Experiment 1, even when the target had an abrupt visual onset to restrict goal-driven manipulations. Furthermore, Experiment 3 confirmed that the effect observed in Experiment 2 could not be attributed to the initial eye position. These findings suggest that goal-driven manipulations are unnecessary for inducing reward biases to high-reward locations. We concluded that awareness of the association rather than goal-driven manipulations is crucial for the location-reward effect.
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40
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Mine C, Most SB, Le Pelley ME. Reward does not modulate the preview benefit in visual search. VISUAL COGNITION 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2021.1895941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Chisato Mine
- School of Psychology, UNSW, Sydney, Australia
- National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Japan
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan
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41
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Turkileri N, Field DT, Ellis JA, Sakaki M. Emotional arousal enhances the impact of long-term memory in attention. JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2021.1883031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nilgun Turkileri
- Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Psychology Department, Nevsehir Haci Bektas Veli University, Nevsehir, Turkey
| | - David T. Field
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights, Reading, UK
| | - Judi A. Ellis
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights, Reading, UK
| | - Michiko Sakaki
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Earley Gate, Whiteknights, Reading, UK
- Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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42
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Marchner JR, Preuschhof C. The influence of associative reward learning on motor inhibition. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 86:125-140. [PMID: 33595706 PMCID: PMC8821474 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-021-01485-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Stimuli that predict a rewarding outcome can cause difficulties to inhibit unfavourable behaviour. Research suggests that this is also the case for stimuli with a history of reward extending these effects on action control to situations, where reward is no longer accessible. We expand this line of research by investigating if previously reward-predictive stimuli promote behavioural activation and impair motor inhibition in a second unrelated task. In two experiments participants were trained to associate colours with a monetary reward or neutral feedback. Afterwards participants performed a cued go/no-go task, where cues appeared in the colours previously associated with feedback during training. In both experiments training resulted in faster responses in rewarded trials providing evidence of a value-driven response bias as long as reward was accessible. However, stimuli with a history of reward did not interfere with goal-directed action and inhibition in a subsequent task after removal of the reward incentives. While the first experiment was not conclusive regarding an impact of reward-associated cues on response inhibition, the second experiment, validated by Bayesian statistics, clearly questioned an effect of reward history on inhibitory control. This stands in contrast to earlier findings suggesting that the effect of reward history on subsequent action control is not as consistent as previously assumed. Our results show that participants are able to overcome influences from Pavlovian learning in a simple inhibition task. We discuss our findings with respect to features of the experimental design which may help or complicate overcoming behavioural biases induced by reward history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janina Rebecca Marchner
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Universitätsplatz 2, Gebäude 24, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Claudia Preuschhof
- Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Otto-von-Guericke-University, Universitätsplatz 2, Gebäude 24, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
- Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, 39106, Magdeburg, Germany.
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43
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Walle A, Druey MD. Beyond Looking for the Rewarded Target: The Effects of Reward on Attention in Search Tasks. Front Psychol 2021; 12:632442. [PMID: 33679561 PMCID: PMC7925641 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.632442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
One puzzling result in training-test paradigms is that effects of reward-associated stimuli on attention are often seen in test but not in training. We focus on one study, where reward-related performance benefits occur in the training and which was discussed contentiously. By using a similar design, we conceptually replicated the results. Moreover, we investigated the underlying mechanisms and processes resulting in these reward-related performance benefits. In two experiments, using search tasks and having participants perform the tasks either with or without individually adjusted time pressure, we disentangled the mechanisms and processes contributing to the reward-related benefits. We found evidence that not only search efficiency is increased with increasing reward, but also that non-search factors contribute to the results. By also investigating response time distributions, we were able to show that reward-related performance effects increased as search time increased in demanding tasks but not in less demanding tasks. Theoretical implications of the results regarding how reward influences attentional processing are discussed.
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44
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Gigliotti MF, Soares Coelho P, Coutinho J, Coello Y. Peripersonal space in social context is modulated by action reward, but differently in males and females. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2021; 85:181-194. [PMID: 31493049 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-019-01242-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
The peripersonal space (PPS) is a multisensory representation of the near-body region of space where objects appear at hand. It also represents a buffer zone protecting the body from external threats and as such it contributes to the organization of social interactions. However, how the combination of embodied objects processing and constraints inherent to social interactions contributes to PPS representation remains an open issue. By using a cooperative task where two male (N = 22) or female (N = 18) participants, sharing the same action space, were requested to select a number of stimuli on a touch-screen table, we investigated the effect of non-uniform distribution of reward-yielding stimuli on selection strategy and perceptual judgments of reachability, used as a proxy of PPS representation. The probability to select a reward-yielding stimulus (50% of the stimuli) was 75% in the proximal space of one of the two confederates. Results showed that participants initially prioritized stimuli in their proximal space and were progressively influenced by the spatial distribution of reward-yielding stimuli, thus invading their confederate's action space when associated with higher probability of reward. The distribution of reward-yielding stimuli led to an increase of reachability threshold, but only when biased towards the participants' distal space. Although the invasion of others' PPS was more pronounced in male participants, the biased distribution of reward-yielding stimuli altered the reachability threshold similarly in males and females. As a whole, the data revealed that reward expectations in relation to motor actions influence both PPS exploration and representation in social context, but differently in males and females.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Francesca Gigliotti
- UMR CNRS 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, Villeneuve-d'Ascq CEDEX, France
| | - Patrícia Soares Coelho
- UMR CNRS 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, Villeneuve-d'Ascq CEDEX, France
- Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Joana Coutinho
- Psychological Neuroscience Laboratory, University of Minho, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal
| | - Yann Coello
- UMR CNRS 9193 - SCALab - Sciences Cognitives et Sciences Affectives, University of Lille, Villeneuve-d'Ascq CEDEX, France.
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45
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Bollen Z, D'Hondt F, Dormal V, Lannoy S, Masson N, Maurage P. Understanding Attentional Biases in Severe Alcohol Use Disorder: A Combined Behavioral and Eye-Tracking Perspective. Alcohol Alcohol 2021; 56:1-7. [PMID: 32839821 DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/agaa062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2020] [Revised: 05/12/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE Severe alcohol use disorder (SAUD) is a psychiatric condition linked to cerebral and cognitive consequences. SAUD is notably characterized by an overactivation of the reflexive/reward system when confronted with alcohol-related cues. Such overreactivity generates a preferential allocation of attentional resources toward these cues, labeled as attentional biases (AB). Theoretical assumptions have been made regarding the characteristics of AB and their underlying processes. While often considered as granted, these assumptions remain to be experimentally validated. AIMS We first identify the theoretical assumptions made by previous studies exploring the nature and role of AB. We then discuss the current evidence available to establish their validity. We finally propose research avenues to experimentally test them. METHODS Capitalizing on a narrative review of studies exploring AB in SAUD, the current limits of the behavioral measures used for their evaluation are highlighted as well as the benefits derived from the use of eye-tracking measures to obtain a deeper understanding of their underlying processes. We describe the issues related to the theoretical proposals on AB and propose research avenues to test them. Four experimental axes are proposed, respectively, related to the determination of (a) the genuine nature of the mechanisms underlying AB; (b) their stability over the disease course; (c) their specificity to alcohol-related stimuli and (d) their reflexive or controlled nature. CONCLUSIONS This in-depth exploration of the available knowledge related to AB in SAUD, and of its key limitations, highlights the theoretical and clinical interest of our innovative experimental perspectives capitalizing on eye-tracking measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoé Bollen
- Louvain Experimental Psychopathology Research Group (LEP), Psychological Science Research Institute, UCLouvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Fabien D'Hondt
- Univ. Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, U1172 - LilNCog - Lille Neuroscience & Cognition, 59000 Lille, France.,CHU Lille, Clinique de Psychiatrie, CURE, 59000, Lille, France.,Centre national de ressources et de résilience Lille-Paris (CN2R), 59000, Lille, France
| | - Valérie Dormal
- Louvain Experimental Psychopathology Research Group (LEP), Psychological Science Research Institute, UCLouvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Séverine Lannoy
- Louvain Experimental Psychopathology Research Group (LEP), Psychological Science Research Institute, UCLouvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas Masson
- Numerical Cognition Group, Psychological Science Research Institute and Neuroscience Institute, 1348, UCLouvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.,Cognitive Science and Assessment Institute, University of Luxembourg, 1511 Luxembourg
| | - Pierre Maurage
- Louvain Experimental Psychopathology Research Group (LEP), Psychological Science Research Institute, UCLouvain, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Mayer K, Krylova M, Alizadeh S, Jamalabadi H, van der Meer J, Vester JC, Naschold B, Schultz M, Walter M. Nx4 Reduced Susceptibility to Distraction in an Attention Modulation Task. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:746215. [PMID: 34912250 PMCID: PMC8667722 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.746215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Stress adversely affects the attentional focus, the active concentration on stimuli, and increases susceptibility to distraction. To experimentally explore the susceptibility to distraction, the Attention Modulation by Salience Task (AMST) is a validated paradigm measuring reaction times (RT) for processing auditory information while presenting task-irrelevant visual distractors of high or low salience. We extended the AMST by an emotional dimension of distractors and an EEG-based evaluation. We then investigated the effect of the stress-relieving medication Neurexan (Nx4) on the participants' susceptibility to distraction. Methods: Data from a randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trial (NEURIM study; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02602275) were exploratively reanalyzed post-hoc. In this trial, 39 participants received a single dose of placebo or Nx4 immediately before the AMST. Participants had to discriminate two different tone modulations (ascending or descending) while simultaneously perceiving task-irrelevant pictures of different salience (high or low) or valence (negative or positive) as distractors. Using EEG recordings, RT and the event-related potential (ERP) components N1, N2, and N3 were analyzed as markers for susceptibility to distraction. Results: In the placebo condition, we could replicate the previously reported task effects of salient distractors with longer RT for high salient distractors on the behavioral level. On the electrophysiological level, we observed significantly increased amplitudes of the N2 and N3 ERP components for positive emotional pictures. In terms of drug effect, we found evidence that Nx4 reduced distractibility by emotional distractors. The effect was shown by significantly reduced amplitudes of N2 and N3 ERP components and reduced RT for the positive valence domain under Nx4 compared to placebo. The Nx4 effects on RT and ERP components also showed a significant correlation. Conclusion: Emotional distractors in addition to the previously used salience distractors and the EEG based evaluation of ERPs valuably complement the AMST. Salient distractors were affecting attentional processes earlier, while valent distractors show modulatory effects later. Our results suggest that Nx4 has beneficial effects on attention by inhibiting the effect of task-irrelevant information and reducing susceptibility to emotionally distracting stimuli. The observation of a beneficial impact of Nx4 on attention regulation is supportive of Nx4's claim as a stress-relieving medication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Mayer
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Marina Krylova
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Sarah Alizadeh
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
| | - Hamidreza Jamalabadi
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Johan van der Meer
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Amsterdam University Medical Center, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Myron Schultz
- Biologische Heilmittel Heel GmbH, Baden-Baden, Germany
| | - Martin Walter
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Jena University Hospital, Jena, Germany
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Gorin A, Krugliakova E, Nikulin V, Kuznetsova A, Moiseeva V, Klucharev V, Shestakova A. Cortical plasticity elicited by acoustically cued monetary losses: an ERP study. Sci Rep 2020; 10:21161. [PMID: 33273646 PMCID: PMC7713235 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-78211-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Both human and animal studies have demonstrated remarkable findings of experience-induced plasticity in the cortex. Here, we investigated whether the widely used monetary incentive delay (MID) task changes the neural processing of incentive cues that code expected monetary outcomes. We used a novel auditory version of the MID task, where participants responded to acoustic cues that coded expected monetary losses. To investigate task-induced brain plasticity, we presented incentive cues as deviants during passive oddball tasks before and after two sessions of the MID task. During the oddball task, we recorded the mismatch-related negativity (MMN) as an index of cortical plasticity. We found that two sessions of the MID task evoked a significant enhancement of MMN for incentive cues that predicted large monetary losses, specifically when monetary cue discrimination was essential for maximising monetary outcomes. The task-induced plasticity correlated with the learning-related neural activity recorded during the MID task. Thus, our results confirm that the processing of (loss)incentive auditory cues is dynamically modulated by previously learned monetary outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksei Gorin
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia.
| | - Elena Krugliakova
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
| | - Vadim Nikulin
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
- Department of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Aleksandra Kuznetsova
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
| | - Victoria Moiseeva
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
| | - Vasily Klucharev
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
| | - Anna Shestakova
- International Laboratory of Social Neurobiology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Research University Higher School of Economics, 20, Myasnitskaya St., Moscow, 101000, Russia
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Abstract
Previously reward-associated stimuli persistently capture attention. We attempted to extinguish this attentional bias through a reversal learning procedure where the high-value color changed unexpectedly. Attentional priority shifted during training in favor of the currently high-value color, although a residual bias toward the original high-value color was still evident. Importantly, during a subsequent test phase, attention was initially more strongly biased toward the original high-value color, counter to the attentional priorities evident at the end of training. Our results show that value-based attentional biases do not quickly update with new learning and lag behind the reshaping of strategic attentional priorities by reward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming-Ray Liao
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
| | - Brian A Anderson
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843, USA
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Munneke J, Fahrenfort JJ, Sutterer D, Theeuwes J, Awh E. Multivariate analysis of EEG activity indexes contingent attentional capture. Neuroimage 2020; 226:117562. [PMID: 33189931 PMCID: PMC8084109 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2020.117562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
An extensive body of work has shown that attentional capture is contingent on the goals of the observer: Capture is strongly reduced or even eliminated when an irrelevant singleton stimulus does not match the target-defining properties (Folk et al., 1992). There has been a long-standing debate on whether attentional capture can be explained by goal-driven and/or stimulus-driven accounts. Here, we shed further light on this matter by using EEG activity (raw EEG and alpha power) to provide a time-resolved index of attentional orienting towards salient stimuli that either matched or did not match target-defining properties. A search display containing the target stimulus was preceded by a spatially uninformative singleton cue that either matched the color of the upcoming target (contingent cues), or that appeared in an irrelevant color (non-contingent cues). Multivariate analysis of raw EEG and alpha power revealed preferential tuning to the location of both contingent and non-contingent cues, with a stronger bias towards contingent than non-contingent cues. The time course of these effects, however, depended on the neural signal. Raw EEG data revealed attentional orienting towards the contingent cue early on in the trial (>156 ms), while alpha power revealed sustained spatial selection in the cued locations at a later moment in the trial (>250 ms). Moreover, while raw EEG showed stronger capture by contingent cues during this early time window, an advantage for contingent cues arose during a later time window in alpha band activity. Thus, our findings suggest that raw EEG activity and alpha-band power tap into distinct neural processes that index separate aspects of covert spatial attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaap Munneke
- College of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Brunel University London, Kingston Lane, UB8 3PH Uxbridge, UK; Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience, Brunel University London, UK; Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Johannes Jacobus Fahrenfort
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Jan Theeuwes
- Department of Experimental and Applied Psychology, Institute for Brain and Behavior, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Edward Awh
- Department of Psychology, University of Chicago, USA; Institute for Mind and Biology, University of Chicago, USA
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50
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Soltani A, Rakhshan M, Schafer RJ, Burrows BE, Moore T. Separable Influences of Reward on Visual Processing and Choice. J Cogn Neurosci 2020; 33:248-262. [PMID: 33166195 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Primate vision is characterized by constant, sequential processing and selection of visual targets to fixate. Although expected reward is known to influence both processing and selection of visual targets, similarities and differences between these effects remain unclear mainly because they have been measured in separate tasks. Using a novel paradigm, we simultaneously measured the effects of reward outcomes and expected reward on target selection and sensitivity to visual motion in monkeys. Monkeys freely chose between two visual targets and received a juice reward with varying probability for eye movements made to either of them. Targets were stationary apertures of drifting gratings, causing the end points of eye movements to these targets to be systematically biased in the direction of motion. We used this motion-induced bias as a measure of sensitivity to visual motion on each trial. We then performed different analyses to explore effects of objective and subjective reward values on choice and sensitivity to visual motion to find similarities and differences between reward effects on these two processes. Specifically, we used different reinforcement learning models to fit choice behavior and estimate subjective reward values based on the integration of reward outcomes over multiple trials. Moreover, to compare the effects of subjective reward value on choice and sensitivity to motion directly, we considered correlations between each of these variables and integrated reward outcomes on a wide range of timescales. We found that, in addition to choice, sensitivity to visual motion was also influenced by subjective reward value, although the motion was irrelevant for receiving reward. Unlike choice, however, sensitivity to visual motion was not affected by objective measures of reward value. Moreover, choice was determined by the difference in subjective reward values of the two options, whereas sensitivity to motion was influenced by the sum of values. Finally, models that best predicted visual processing and choice used sets of estimated reward values based on different types of reward integration and timescales. Together, our results demonstrate separable influences of reward on visual processing and choice, and point to the presence of multiple brain circuits for the integration of reward outcomes.
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