1
|
Cao L. A spatial-attentional mechanism underlies action-related distortions of time judgment. eLife 2024; 12:e91825. [PMID: 38334366 PMCID: PMC10942542 DOI: 10.7554/elife.91825] [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] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Temporal binding has been understood as an illusion in timing judgment. When an action triggers an outcome (e.g. a sound) after a brief delay, the action is reported to occur later than if the outcome does not occur, and the outcome is reported to occur earlier than a similar outcome not caused by an action. We show here that an attention mechanism underlies the seeming illusion of timing judgment. In one method, participants watch a rotating clock hand and report event times by noting the clock hand position when the event occurs. We find that visual spatial attention is critically involved in shaping event time reports made in this way. This occurs because action and outcome events result in shifts of attention around the clock rim, thereby biasing the perceived location of the clock hand. Using a probe detection task to measure attention, we show a difference in the distribution of visual spatial attention between a single-event condition (sound only or action only) and a two-event agency condition (action plus sound). Participants accordingly report the timing of the same event (the sound or the action) differently in the two conditions: spatial attentional shifts masquerading as temporal binding. Furthermore, computational modeling based on the attention measure can reproduce the temporal binding effect. Studies that use time judgment as an implicit marker of voluntary agency should first discount the artefactual changes in event timing reports that actually reflect differences in spatial attention. The study also has important implications for related results in mental chronometry obtained with the clock-like method since Wundt, as attention may well be a critical confounding factor in the interpretation of these studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liyu Cao
- Department of Psychology and Behavioural Sciences, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
- The State Key Lab of Brain-Machine Intelligence, Zhejiang UniversityHangzhouChina
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Kirsch W, Kunde W. On the origin of the Helmholtz's square illusion: An attentional account. Atten Percept Psychophys 2023; 85:2018-2032. [PMID: 37157009 PMCID: PMC10545586 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-023-02717-1] [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: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
A square filled with parallel horizontal or vertical lines appears perceptually extended in the direction orthogonal to the lines. Here, we suggest that this Helmholtz illusion arises due to changes in spatial attention that entail changes at very early stages of perceptual processing. Three experiments are reported which tested this assumption. In Experiment1 and Experiment2, transient attentional cues were flashed in such a way that they either promoted (congruent condition) or hindered (incongruent condition) the attentional state presumably induced by the target objects. We predicted a decline of the illusion in the incongruent condition compared with the congruent condition. This prediction was confirmed in both experiments. However, the influence of (in)congruent attention cuing on the Helmholtz illusion depended on more sustained distributions of attention as well. An influence of sustained attention on the illusion was confirmed in Experiment 3, in which changes of attentional focus were induced by a secondary task. Overall, the results were consistent with our claim that the origin of the Helmholtz illusion is closely linked to the distribution of spatial attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir Kirsch
- Institut für Psychologie III der Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, D-97070, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Wilfried Kunde
- Institut für Psychologie III der Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 11, D-97070, Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kirsch W. On the origin of the Roelofs and induced Roelofs effects. VISUAL COGNITION 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/13506285.2022.2092572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Wladimir Kirsch
- Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Action video game training improves text reading accuracy, rate and comprehension in children with dyslexia: a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep 2021; 11:18584. [PMID: 34545166 PMCID: PMC8452648 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-98146-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Dynamic visual attention training using Action Video Games (AVGs) is a promising intervention for dyslexia. This study investigated the efficacy of 5 h (10 × 30 min) of AVG training in dyslexic children (aged 8–13) using ‘Fruit Ninja’, while exploring whether increasing attentional and eye movement demands enhanced AVG effectiveness. Regular (AVG-R; n = 22) and enhanced AVG training (AVG+; n = 23) were compared to a treatment-as-usual comparison group (n = 19) on reading, rapid naming, eye movements and visuo-temporal processing. Playing ‘Fruit Ninja’ for only 5 h significantly improved reading accuracy, rate, comprehension and rapid naming of both AVG groups, compared to the comparison group, though increasing attentional demands did not enhance AVG efficacy. Participants whose low contrast magnocellular-temporal processing improved most following training also showed significantly greater improvement in reading accuracy. The findings demonstrate a clear role for visual attention in reading and highlight the clinical applicability of AVGs as a fun, motivational and engaging intervention for dyslexia.
Collapse
|
5
|
The size of attentional focus modulates the perception of object location. Vision Res 2020; 179:1-8. [PMID: 33264688 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2020.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 11/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The present study examined how the size of attended area affects the repulsion of perceived object location from the focus of attention reported previously (attentional repulsion effect). We induced sustained changes in the size of attentional focus and tested the impact of this experimental variation on the perception of object location. The results of three experiments revealed reliable repulsion effects for each size of attentional focus. However, the magnitude of the effect decreased substantially with an increase in focus size. This outcome extends the knowledge about how spatial attention affects visual perception.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abstract
Some types of object features, such as color, shape, or location, can be processed separately within the visual system, requiring that they be correctly "bound" to a single object via attentional selection of a subset of visual information. Forcing selection to spread too widely can cause an illusion where these features misbind to objects, creating illusory objects that were never present. Here, we present a novel display that produces a robust color-location misbinding illusion that we call foveal gravity (viewable at https://osf.io/2bndg/). When observers selected only a set of colored objects, colors were largely perceived in their correct locations. When observers additionally selected objects in the far periphery, colors in the near periphery migrated closer to the fovea on over 35% of trials. We speculate that foveal gravity occurs because locations closer to the fovea are more likely to defeat more peripheral locations in competitive interactions to "win" the task-relevant color.
Collapse
|
7
|
Harada Y, Ohyama J. Spatiotemporal Characteristics of 360-Degree Basic Attention. Sci Rep 2019; 9:16083. [PMID: 31695051 PMCID: PMC6834598 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-52313-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 10/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The spatiotemporal characteristics of basic attention are important for understanding attending behaviours in real-life situations, and they are useful for evaluating the accessibility of visual information. However, although people are encircled by their 360-degree surroundings in real life, no study has addressed the general characteristics of attention to 360-degree surroundings. Here, we conducted an experiment using virtual reality technology to examine the spatiotemporal characteristics of attention in a highly controlled basic visual context consisting of a 360-degree surrounding. We measured response times and gaze patterns during the 360-degree search task and examined the spatial distribution of attention and its temporal variations in a 360-degree environment based on the participants' physical position. Data were collected from both younger adults and older adults to consider age-related differences. The results showed the fundamental spatiotemporal characteristics of 360-degree attention, which can be used as basic criteria to analyse the structure of exogenous effects on attention in complex 360-degree surroundings in real-life situations. For practical purposes, we created spherical criteria maps of 360-degree attention, which are useful for estimating attending behaviours to 360-degree environmental information or for evaluating visual information design in living environments, workspaces, or other real-life contexts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Harada
- Human Augmentation Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Junji Ohyama
- Human Augmentation Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Ibaraki, Japan.
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Invalidly cued targets are well localized when detected. Atten Percept Psychophys 2019; 81:1757-1766. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-019-01793-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
9
|
Brooks J, Seizova-Cajic T, Taylor JL. Biases in tactile localization by pointing: compression for weak stimuli and centering for distributions of stimuli. J Neurophysiol 2019; 121:764-772. [PMID: 30625005 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00189.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Weak electrocutaneous stimuli applied to the forearm are erroneously localized toward its middle (Steenbergen P, Buitenweg JR, Trojan J, Veltink PH. Exp Brain Res 232: 597-607, 2014). We asked whether mechanical touch stimuli exhibit a similar bias and whether the bias is toward the middle of the forearm or toward the middle of the recent stimulus distribution. In experiments 1 and 2, participants ( n = 12 and n = 10) localized by pointing von Frey filaments applied to four locations on the dorsal forearm. Individually adjusted weak and strong stimuli ( experiment 1) or two levels of strong stimuli ( experiment 2) were presented in single sessions in random order. Weaker stimuli were localized with greater variability than the strong, with compression toward the middle of the forearm. Responses to the two levels of strong stimuli did not differ. In experiment 3, participants ( n = 16) were presented two spatially offset stimulus distributions (8 cm center-to-center), each offset from the forearm middle, on 2 different days. Out of four target locations comprising each distribution, two were shared. Responses to weak stimuli were compressed compared with responses to strong stimuli. Importantly, biases for the common targets had opposite directions, each being toward the middle of the distribution within which targets were presented. Responses to strong stimuli also exhibited a distribution-dependent bias, a 2-cm overall shift across the forearm midpoint. We conclude that touch localization is subject to intensity-dependent biases determined by the recent history of stimulation and possibly also by the available or perceived response space. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Recent findings show that weak electrical stimuli applied to the forearm are mislocalized toward the forearm middle, relative to strong stimuli. We found that weak mechanical stimuli are similarly mislocalized. The bias changed if, as a group, stimuli were not centered on the forearm middle: weak stimuli gravitated toward the center of prior stimulation. Localization of strong stimuli was also biased, consistent with the tendency to center responses within the available response space.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jack Brooks
- Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Randwick , New South Wales , Australia.,Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago , Chicago, Illinois
| | - Tatjana Seizova-Cajic
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales , Australia
| | - Janet L Taylor
- Neuroscience Research Australia, University of New South Wales, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Medical Sciences, University of New South Wales Randwick , New South Wales , Australia.,School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University , Perth, Western Australia , Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Abstract
Rapid shifts of involuntary attention have been shown to induce mislocalizations of nearby objects. One pattern of mislocalization, termed the Attentional Repulsion Effect (ARE), occurs when the onset of peripheral pre-cues lead to perceived shifts of subsequently presented stimuli away from the cued location. While the standard ARE configuration utilizes vernier lines, to date, all previous ARE studies have only assessed distortions along one direction and tested one spatial dimension (i.e., position or shape). The present study assessed the magnitude of the ARE using a novel stimulus configuration. Across three experiments participants judged which of two rectangles on the left or right side of the display appeared wider or taller. Pre-cues were used in Experiments 1 and 2. Results show equivalent perceived expansions in the width and height of the pre-cued rectangle in addition to baseline asymmetries in left/right relative size under no-cue conditions. Altering cue locations led to shifts in the perceived location of the same rectangles, demonstrating distortions in perceived shape and location using the same stimuli and cues. Experiment 3 demonstrates that rectangles are perceived as larger in the periphery compared to fixation, suggesting that eye movements cannot account for results from Experiments 1 and 2. The results support the hypothesis that the ARE reflects a localized, symmetrical warping of visual space that impacts multiple aspects of spatial and object perception.
Collapse
|
11
|
Freeman LCA, Wood KC, Bizley JK. Multisensory stimuli improve relative localisation judgments compared to unisensory auditory or visual stimuli. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2018; 143:EL516. [PMID: 29960438 PMCID: PMC6018061 DOI: 10.1121/1.5042759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2018] [Revised: 04/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Observers performed a relative localisation task in which they reported whether the second of two sequentially presented signals occurred to the left or right of the first. Stimuli were detectability-matched auditory, visual, or auditory-visual signals and the goal was to compare changes in performance with eccentricity across modalities. Visual performance was superior to auditory at the midline, but inferior in the periphery, while auditory-visual performance exceeded both at all locations. No such advantage was seen when performance for auditory-only trials was contrasted with trials in which the first stimulus was auditory-visual and the second auditory only.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura C A Freeman
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom , ,
| | - Katherine C Wood
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom , ,
| | - Jennifer K Bizley
- Ear Institute, University College London, 332 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8EE, United Kingdom , ,
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Abstract
Visual cognition in our 3D world requires understanding how we accurately localize objects in 2D and depth, and what influence both types of location information have on visual processing. Spatial location is known to play a special role in visual processing, but most of these findings have focused on the special role of 2D location. One such phenomena is the spatial congruency bias (Golomb, Kupitz, & Thiemann, 2014), where 2D location biases judgments of object features but features do not bias location judgments. This paradigm has recently been used to compare different types of location information in terms of how much they bias different types of features. Here we used this paradigm to ask a related question: whether 2D and depth-from-disparity location bias localization judgments for each other. We found that presenting two objects in the same 2D location biased position-in-depth judgments, but presenting two objects at the same depth (disparity) did not bias 2D location judgments. We conclude that an object's 2D location may be automatically incorporated into perception of its depth location, but not vice versa, which is consistent with a fundamentally special role for 2D location in visual processing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nonie J. Finlayson
- Department of Psychology, Center for Cognitive & Brain Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Hüttermann S, Memmert D. The Attention Window: A Narrative Review of Limitations and Opportunities Influencing the Focus of Attention. RESEARCH QUARTERLY FOR EXERCISE AND SPORT 2017; 88:169-183. [PMID: 28332919 DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2017.1293228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Visual attention is essential in many areas ranging from everyday life situations to the workplace. Different circumstances such as driving in traffic or participating in sports require immediate adaptation to constantly changing situations and frequently the conscious perception of 2 objects or scenes at the same time. METHOD The attention window task, a measure of attentional breadth, in which people must attend to 2 equally attention-demanding stimuli simultaneously, was introduced. This article provides a narrative review of studies using this task and outlines different factors that might influence the attention window. RESULTS Differences in the spatial distribution of attention result, for example, from effects of age or physical activities as well as from emotional processes and those affected by current motivation, while gender does not have any influence. The window is represented as an ellipse with greater attentional breadth along the horizontal axis than the vertical axis, and it is about 5 to 6 times smaller than the human visual field. CONCLUSION Not only everyday occurrences but also situations in sport games-for example, having an overview of the opponent, teammates, and the ball-require the ability to pay visual attention to 2 peripheral objects and continuously changing situations. Therefore, the application or avoidance of different strategies and factors is discussed to improve and adjust behavior in those situations.
Collapse
|
14
|
Auditory Localisation Biases Increase with Sensory Uncertainty. Sci Rep 2017; 7:40567. [PMID: 28074913 PMCID: PMC5225420 DOI: 10.1038/srep40567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychophysical studies have frequently found that adults with normal hearing exhibit systematic errors (biases) in their auditory localisation judgments. Here we tested (i) whether systematic localisation errors could reflect reliance on prior knowledge, as has been proposed for other systematic perceptual biases, and (ii) whether auditory localisation biases can be reduced following training with accurate visual feedback. Twenty-four normal hearing participants were asked to localise the position of a noise burst along the azimuth before, during, and after training with visual feedback. Consistent with reliance on prior knowledge to reduce sensory uncertainty, we found that auditory localisation biases increased when auditory localisation uncertainty increased. Specifically, participants mis-localised auditory stimuli as being more eccentric than they were, and did so more when auditory uncertainty was greater. However, biases also increased with eccentricity, despite no corresponding increase in uncertainty, which is not readily explained by use of a simple prior favouring peripheral locations. Localisation biases decreased (improved) following training with visual feedback, but the reliability of the visual feedback stimulus did not change the effects of training. We suggest that further research is needed to identify alternative mechanisms, besides use of prior knowledge, that could account for increased perceptual biases under sensory uncertainty.
Collapse
|
15
|
Changes in the distribution of sustained attention alter the perceived structure of visual space. Vision Res 2016; 131:26-36. [PMID: 28025055 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2016.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2016] [Revised: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 12/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Visual spatial attention is a critical process that allows for the selection and enhanced processing of relevant objects and locations. While studies have shown attentional modulations of perceived location and the representation of distance information across multiple objects, there remains disagreement regarding what influence spatial attention has on the underlying structure of visual space. The present study utilized a method of magnitude estimation in which participants must judge the location of briefly presented targets within the boundaries of their individual visual fields in the absence of any other objects or boundaries. Spatial uncertainty of target locations was used to assess perceived locations across distributed and focused attention conditions without the use of external stimuli, such as visual cues. Across two experiments we tested locations along the cardinal and 45° oblique axes. We demonstrate that focusing attention within a region of space can expand the perceived size of visual space; even in cases where doing so makes performance less accurate. Moreover, the results of the present studies show that when fixation is actively maintained, focusing attention along a visual axis leads to an asymmetrical stretching of visual space that is predominantly focused across the central half of the visual field, consistent with an expansive gradient along the focus of voluntary attention. These results demonstrate that focusing sustained attention peripherally during active fixation leads to an asymmetrical expansion of visual space within the central visual field.
Collapse
|
16
|
Odegaard B, Wozny DR, Shams L. Biases in Visual, Auditory, and Audiovisual Perception of Space. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004649. [PMID: 26646312 PMCID: PMC4672909 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Localization of objects and events in the environment is critical for survival, as many perceptual and motor tasks rely on estimation of spatial location. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that spatial localizations should generally be accurate. Curiously, some previous studies have reported biases in visual and auditory localizations, but these studies have used small sample sizes and the results have been mixed. Therefore, it is not clear (1) if the reported biases in localization responses are real (or due to outliers, sampling bias, or other factors), and (2) whether these putative biases reflect a bias in sensory representations of space or a priori expectations (which may be due to the experimental setup, instructions, or distribution of stimuli). Here, to address these questions, a dataset of unprecedented size (obtained from 384 observers) was analyzed to examine presence, direction, and magnitude of sensory biases, and quantitative computational modeling was used to probe the underlying mechanism(s) driving these effects. Data revealed that, on average, observers were biased towards the center when localizing visual stimuli, and biased towards the periphery when localizing auditory stimuli. Moreover, quantitative analysis using a Bayesian Causal Inference framework suggests that while pre-existing spatial biases for central locations exert some influence, biases in the sensory representations of both visual and auditory space are necessary to fully explain the behavioral data. How are these opposing visual and auditory biases reconciled in conditions in which both auditory and visual stimuli are produced by a single event? Potentially, the bias in one modality could dominate, or the biases could interact/cancel out. The data revealed that when integration occurred in these conditions, the visual bias dominated, but the magnitude of this bias was reduced compared to unisensory conditions. Therefore, multisensory integration not only improves the precision of perceptual estimates, but also the accuracy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brian Odegaard
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - David R. Wozny
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Ladan Shams
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Department of BioEngineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- Neuroscience Interdepartmental Program, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Fortenbaugh FC, VanVleet TM, Silver MA, Robertson LC. Spatial distortions in localization and midline estimation in hemianopia and normal vision. Vision Res 2015; 111:1-12. [PMID: 25872177 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2015.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2015] [Revised: 03/11/2015] [Accepted: 03/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Studies have shown that individuals with hemianopia tend to bisect a line toward their blind, contralesional visual field, termed the hemianopic line bisection error (HLBE). One theory proposes that the HLBE is a perceptual distortion resulting from expansion of the central region of visual space. If true, perceptual expansions of the central regions in the intact hemifield should also be present and observable across different tasks. We tested this hypothesis using a peripheral localization task to assess localization and midpoint estimation along the horizontal axis of the visual field. In this task, participants judged the location of a target dot presented inside a Goldmann perimeter relative to their perceived visual field boundary. In Experiment 1, we tested neurologically healthy participants on the peripheral localization task as well as a novel midpoint assessment task in which participants reported their perceived midpoint along the horizontal axis of their left and right visual fields. The results revealed consistency in individual biases across the two tasks. We then used the peripheral localization task to test whether two patients with hemianopia showed a selective expansion of central visual space. For these patients, three axes were tested: the spared temporal horizontal axis and the upper and lower vertical axes. The results support the notion that the HLBE is due to expansion of perceived space along the spared temporal axis. Together, the results of both experiments validate the use of these novel paradigms for exploring perceptual asymmetries in both healthy individuals and patients with visual field loss.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca C Fortenbaugh
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Martinez, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Thomas M VanVleet
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Martinez, CA, USA; Brain Plasticity Inc., San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Michael A Silver
- School of Optometry, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Lynn C Robertson
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Martinez, CA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Vision Science Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Wright JM, Krekelberg B. Transcranial direct current stimulation over posterior parietal cortex modulates visuospatial localization. J Vis 2014; 14:14.9.5. [PMID: 25104830 DOI: 10.1167/14.9.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Visual localization is based on the complex interplay of bottom-up and top-down processing. Based on previous work, the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is assumed to play an essential role in this interplay. In this study, we investigated the causal role of the PPC in visual localization. Specifically, our goal was to determine whether modulation of the PPC via transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) could induce visual mislocalization similar to that induced by an exogenous attentional cue (Wright, Morris, & Krekelberg, 2011). We placed one stimulation electrode over the right PPC and the other over the left PPC (dual tDCS) and varied the polarity of the stimulation. We found that this manipulation altered visual localization; this supports the causal involvement of the PPC in visual localization. Notably, mislocalization was more rightward when the cathode was placed over the right PPC than when the anode was placed over the right PPC. This mislocalization was found within a few minutes of stimulation onset, it dissipated during stimulation, but then resurfaced after stimulation offset and lasted for another 10-15 min. On the assumption that excitability is reduced beneath the cathode and increased beneath the anode, these findings support the view that each hemisphere biases processing to the contralateral hemifield and that the balance of activation between the hemispheres contributes to position perception (Kinsbourne, 1977; Szczepanski, Konen, & Kastner, 2010).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Wright
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| | - Bart Krekelberg
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
A comparison of visual and auditory representational momentum in spatial tasks. Atten Percept Psychophys 2013; 75:1507-19. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-013-0495-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
20
|
Hüttermann S, Memmert D, Simons DJ, Bock O. Fixation strategy influences the ability to focus attention on two spatially separate objects. PLoS One 2013; 8:e65673. [PMID: 23776524 PMCID: PMC3679173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0065673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2012] [Accepted: 04/27/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to devote attention simultaneously to multiple visual objects plays an important role in domains ranging from everyday activities to the workplace. Yet, no studies have systematically explored the fixation strategies that optimize attention to two spatially distinct objects. Assuming the two objects require attention nearly simultaneously, subjects either could fixate one object or they could fixate between the objects. Studies measuring the breadth of attention have focused almost exclusively on the former strategy, by having subjects simultaneously perform one attention-demanding task at fixation and another in the periphery. We compared performance when one object was at fixation and the other was in the periphery to a condition in which both objects were in the periphery and subjects fixated between them. Performance was better with two peripheral stimuli than with one central and one peripheral stimulus, meaning that a strategy of fixating between stimuli permitted greater attention breadth. Consistent with the idea that both measures tap attention breadth, sport experts consistently outperformed novices with both fixation strategies. Our findings suggest a way to improve performance when observers must pay attention to multiple objects across spatial regions. We discuss possible explanations for this performance advantage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Hüttermann
- Institute of Cognitive and Team/Racket Sport Research, German Sport University Cologne, Cologne, Germany.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
21
|
Attentional enhancement of spatial resolution: linking behavioural and neurophysiological evidence. Nat Rev Neurosci 2013; 14:188-200. [PMID: 23422910 DOI: 10.1038/nrn3443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Attention allows us to select relevant sensory information for preferential processing. Behaviourally, it improves performance in various visual tasks. One prominent effect of attention is the modulation of performance in tasks that involve the visual system's spatial resolution. Physiologically, attention modulates neuronal responses and alters the profile and position of receptive fields near the attended location. Here, we develop a hypothesis linking the behavioural and electrophysiological evidence. The proposed framework seeks to explain how these receptive field changes enhance the visual system's effective spatial resolution and how the same mechanisms may also underlie attentional effects on the representation of spatial information.
Collapse
|
22
|
Fortenbaugh FC, Sanghvi S, Silver MA, Robertson LC. Exploring the edges of visual space: the influence of visual boundaries on peripheral localization. J Vis 2012; 12:12.2.19. [PMID: 22353778 DOI: 10.1167/12.2.19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies of localization of stationary targets in the peripheral visual field have found either underestimations (foveal biases) or overestimations (peripheral biases) of target eccentricity. In the present study, we help resolve this inconsistency by demonstrating the influence of visual boundaries on the type of localization bias. Using a Goldmann perimeter (an illuminated half-dome), we presented targets at different eccentricities across the visual field and asked participants to judge the target locations. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants reported target locations relative to their perceived visual field extent using either a manual or verbal response, with both response types producing a peripheral bias. This peripheral localization bias was a non-linear scaling of perceived location when the visual field was not bounded by external borders induced by facial features (i.e., the nose and brow), but location scaling was linear when visual boundaries were present. Experiment 3 added an external border (an aperture edge placed in the Goldmann perimeter) that resulted in a foveal bias and linear scaling. Our results show that boundaries that define a spatial region within the visual field determine both the direction of bias in localization errors for stationary objects and the scaling function of perceived location across visual space.
Collapse
|
23
|
Wright JM, Morris AP, Krekelberg B. Weighted integration of visual position information. J Vis 2011; 11:11.14.11. [PMID: 22159711 DOI: 10.1167/11.14.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to localize visual objects is a fundamental component of human behavior and requires the integration of position information from object components. The retinal eccentricity of a stimulus and the locus of spatial attention can affect object localization, but it is unclear whether these factors alter the global localization of the object, the localization of object components, or both. We used psychophysical methods in humans to quantify behavioral responses in a centroid estimation task. Subjects located the centroid of briefly presented random dot patterns (RDPs). A peripheral cue was used to bias attention toward one side of the display. We found that although subjects were able to localize centroid positions reliably, they typically had a bias toward the fovea and a shift toward the locus of attention. We compared quantitative models that explain these effects either as biased global localization of the RDPs or as anisotropic integration of weighted dot component positions. A model that allowed retinal eccentricity and spatial attention to alter the weights assigned to individual dot positions best explained subjects' performance. These results show that global position perception depends on both the retinal eccentricity of stimulus components and their positions relative to the current locus of attention.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica M Wright
- Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience, Rutgers University, 197 University Ave, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|