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Capizzi M, Chica AB, Lupiáñez J, Charras P. Attention to space and time: Independent or interactive systems? A narrative review. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:2030-2048. [PMID: 37407793 PMCID: PMC10728255 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02325-y] [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: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023]
Abstract
While there is ample evidence for the ability to selectively attend to where in space and when in time a relevant event might occur, it remains poorly understood whether spatial and temporal attention operate independently or interactively to optimize behavior. To elucidate this important issue, we provide a narrative review of the literature investigating the relationship between the two. The studies were organized based on the attentional manipulation employed (endogenous vs. exogenous) and the type of task (detection vs. discrimination). Although the reviewed findings depict a complex scenario, three aspects appear particularly important in promoting independent or interactive effects of spatial and temporal attention: task demands, attentional manipulation, and their combination. Overall, the present review provides key insights into the relationship between spatial and temporal attention and identifies some critical gaps that need to be addressed by future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariagrazia Capizzi
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
| | - Ana B Chica
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Juan Lupiáñez
- Mind, Brain and Behavior Research Center (CIMCYC), Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain
| | - Pom Charras
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPSYLON EA 4556, F34000, Montpellier, France
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2
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Kobayashi M, Ichikawa M. Emotional response evoked by viewing facial expression pictures leads to higher temporal resolution. Iperception 2023; 14:20416695231152144. [PMID: 36845026 PMCID: PMC9943968 DOI: 10.1177/20416695231152144] [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: 12/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/12/2023] Open
Abstract
We examined the effects of emotional response, with different levels of valence and arousal, on the temporal resolution of visual processing by using photos of various facial expressions. As an index of the temporal resolution of visual processing, we measured the minimum lengths of the noticeable durations for desaturated photographs using the method of constant stimuli by switching colorful facial expression photographs to desaturated versions of the same photographs. Experiments 1 and 2 used facial photographs that evoke various degrees of arousal and valence. Those photographs were prepared not only in an upright orientation but also in an inverted orientation to reduce emotional response without changing the photographs' image properties. Results showed that the minimum duration to notice monochrome photographs for anger, fear, and joy was shorter than that for a neutral face when viewing upright face photographs but not when viewing inverted face photographs. For Experiment 3, we used facial expression photographs to evoke various degrees of arousal. Results showed that the temporal resolution of visual processing increased with the degree of arousal. These results suggest that the arousal of emotional responses evoked by viewing facial expressions might increase the temporal resolution of visual processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Misa Kobayashi
- Misa Kobayashi, Graduate School of Science
and Engineering, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoicho, Inage, Chiba 263-8522, Japan.
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Liu X, Balestrieri E, Melcher D. Evidence for a theta-band behavioural oscillation in rapid face detection. Eur J Neurosci 2022; 56:5033-5046. [PMID: 35943892 PMCID: PMC9805000 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Theories of rhythmic perception propose that perceptual sampling operates in a periodic way, with alternating moments of high and low responsiveness to sensory inputs. This rhythmic sampling is linked to neural oscillations and thought to produce fluctuations in behavioural outcomes. Previous studies have revealed theta- and alpha-band behavioural oscillations in low-level visual tasks and object categorization. However, less is known about fluctuations in face perception, for which the human brain has developed a highly specialized network. To investigate this, we ran an online study (N = 179) incorporating the dense sampling technique with a dual-target rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm. In each trial, a stream of object images was presented at 30 Hz and participants were tasked with detecting whether or not there was a face image in the sequence. On some trials, one or two (identical) face images (the target) were embedded in each stream. On dual-target trials, the targets were separated by an interstimulus interval (ISI) that varied between 0 to 633 ms. The task was to indicate the presence of the target and its gender if present. Performance varied as a function of ISI, with a significant behavioural oscillation in the face detection task at 7.5 Hz, driven mainly by the male target faces. This finding is consistent with a high theta-band-based fluctuation in visual processing. Such fluctuations might reflect rhythmic attentional sampling or, alternatively, feedback loops involved in updating top-down predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyi Liu
- New York University Abu DhabiAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
| | - Elio Balestrieri
- Institute of PsychologyUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany,Otto‐Creutzfeldt‐Center for Cognitive and Behavioral NeuroscienceUniversity of MünsterMünsterGermany
| | - David Melcher
- New York University Abu DhabiAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
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Jones A, Ward EV, Csiszer EL, Szymczak J. Temporal Expectation Improves Recognition Memory for Spatially Attended Objects. J Cogn Neurosci 2022; 34:1616-1629. [PMID: 35604350 DOI: 10.1162/jocn_a_01872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that temporal expectation is beneficial to memory formation. Rhythmic presentation of stimuli during encoding enhances subsequent recognition and is associated with distinct neural activity compared with when stimuli are presented in an arrhythmic manner. However, no prior study has examined how temporal expectation interacts with another important form of facilitation-spatial attention-to affect memory. This study systematically manipulated temporal expectation and spatial attention during encoding to examine their combined effect on behavioral recognition and associated ERPs. Participants performed eight experimental blocks consisting of an encoding phase and recognition test, with EEG recorded throughout. During encoding, pairs of objects and checkerboards were presented and participants were cued to attend to the left or right stream and detect targets as quickly as possible. In four blocks, stimulus presentation followed a rhythmic (constant, predictable) temporal structure, and in the other four blocks, stimulus onset was arrhythmic (random, unpredictable). An interaction between temporal expectation and spatial attention emerged, with greater recognition in the rhythmic than the arrhythmic condition for spatially attended items. Analysis of memory-specific ERP components uncovered effects of spatial attention. There were late positive component and FN400 old/new effects in the attended condition for both rhythmic and arrhythmic items, whereas in the unattended condition, there was an FN400 old/new effect and no late positive component effect. The study provides new evidence that memory improvement as a function of temporal expectation is dependent upon spatial attention.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emma V Ward
- Middlesex University, London, United Kingdom
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No effect of spatial attention on the processing of a motion ensemble: Evidence from Posner cueing. Atten Percept Psychophys 2021; 84:1845-1857. [PMID: 34811633 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-021-02392-0] [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: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The formation of ensemble codes is an efficient means through which the visual system represents vast arrays of information. This has led to the claim that ensemble representations are formed with minimal reliance on attentional resources. However, evidence is mixed regarding the effects of attention on ensemble processing, and researchers do not always make it clear how attention is being manipulated by their paradigm of choice. In this study, we examined the effects of Posner cueing - a well-established method of manipulating spatial attention - on the processing of a global motion stimulus, a naturalistic ensemble that requires the pooling of local motion signals. In Experiment 1, using a centrally presented, predictive attentional cue, we found no effect of spatial attention on global motion performance: Accuracy in invalid trials, where attention was misdirected by the cue, did not differ from accuracy in valid trials, where attention was directed to the location of the motion stimulus. In Experiment 2, we maximized the potential for our paradigm to reveal any attentional effects on global motion processing by using a threshold-based measure of performance; however, despite this change, there was again no evidence of an attentional effect on performance. Together, our results show that the processing of a global motion stimulus is unaffected when spatial attention is misdirected, and speak to the efficiency with which such ensemble stimuli are processed.
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Ghiani A, Maniglia M, Battaglini L, Melcher D, Ronconi L. Binding Mechanisms in Visual Perception and Their Link With Neural Oscillations: A Review of Evidence From tACS. Front Psychol 2021; 12:643677. [PMID: 33828509 PMCID: PMC8019716 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.643677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurophysiological studies in humans employing magneto- (MEG) and electro- (EEG) encephalography increasingly suggest that oscillatory rhythmic activity of the brain may be a core mechanism for binding sensory information across space, time, and object features to generate a unified perceptual representation. To distinguish whether oscillatory activity is causally related to binding processes or whether, on the contrary, it is a mere epiphenomenon, one possibility is to employ neuromodulatory techniques such as transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS). tACS has seen a rising interest due to its ability to modulate brain oscillations in a frequency-dependent manner. In the present review, we critically summarize current tACS evidence for a causal role of oscillatory activity in spatial, temporal, and feature binding in the context of visual perception. For temporal binding, the emerging picture supports a causal link with the power and the frequency of occipital alpha rhythms (8-12 Hz); however, there is no consistent evidence on the causal role of the phase of occipital tACS. For feature binding, the only study available showed a modulation by occipital alpha tACS. The majority of studies that successfully modulated oscillatory activity and behavioral performance in spatial binding targeted parietal areas, with the main rhythms causally linked being the theta (~7 Hz) and beta (~18 Hz) frequency bands. On the other hand, spatio-temporal binding has been directly modulated by parieto-occipital gamma (~40-60 Hz) and alpha (10 Hz) tACS, suggesting a potential role of cross-frequency coupling when binding across space and time. Nonetheless, negative or partial results have also been observed, suggesting methodological limitations that should be addressed in future research. Overall, the emerging picture seems to support a causal role of brain oscillations in binding processes and, consequently, a certain degree of plasticity for shaping binding mechanisms in visual perception, which, if proved to have long lasting effects, can find applications in different clinical populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ghiani
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Marcello Maniglia
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA, United States
- Department of Neurobiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Luca Battaglini
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Neuro Vis.U.S. Laboratory, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
- Department of Physics and Astronomy "Galileo Galilei", University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - David Melcher
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
- Psychology Program, Division of Science, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
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7
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Investigating the role of temporal processing in developmental dyslexia: Evidence for a specific deficit in rapid visual segmentation. Psychon Bull Rev 2021; 27:724-734. [PMID: 32495210 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-020-01752-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigates the role of temporal processing in the visual domain in participants with developmental dyslexia (DD), the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, which is characterized by severe and specific difficulties in learning to read despite normal intelligence and adequate education. Specifically, our aim was to test whether DD is associated with a general impairment of temporal sensory processing or a specific deficit in temporal integration (which ensures stability of object identity and location) or segregation (which ensures sensitivity to changes in visual input). Participants with DD performed a task that measured both temporal integration and segregation using an identical sequence of two displays separated by a varying interstimulus interval (ISI) under two different task instructions. Results showed that participants with DD performed worse in the segregation task, with a shallower slope of the psychometric curve of percentage correct as a function of the ISI between the two target displays. Moreover, we found also a relationship between temporal segregation performance and text, words, and pseudowords reading speeds at the individual level. In contrast, no significant association between reading (dis)ability and temporal integration emerged. The current findings provide evidence for a difference in the fine temporal resolution of visual processing in DD and, considering the growing evidence about a link between visual temporal segregation and neural oscillations at specific frequencies, they support the idea that DD is characterized by an altered oscillatory sampling within the visual system.
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Ronconi L, Melcher D, Junghöfer M, Wolters CH, Busch NA. Testing the effect of tACS over parietal cortex in modulating endogenous alpha rhythm and temporal integration windows in visual perception. Eur J Neurosci 2020; 55:3438-3450. [PMID: 33098112 PMCID: PMC9542321 DOI: 10.1111/ejn.15017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 10/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Neural oscillations in the alpha band (8-12 Hz) have been proposed as a key mechanism for the temporal resolution of visual perception. Higher alpha frequencies have been related to improved segregation of visual events over time, whereas lower alpha frequencies have been related to improved temporal integration. Similarly, also the phase of ongoing alpha has been shown to correlate with temporal integration/segregation. To test a causal relationship between alpha oscillations and perception, we here employed multi-channel transcranial alternating current stimulation (mc-tACS) over the right parietal cortex, whereas participants performed a visual temporal integration/segregation task that used identical stimuli with different instructions. Before and after mc-tACS we recorded the resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) to extract the individual alpha frequency (IAF) and delivered electrical stimulation at slightly slower and faster frequencies (IAF±2 Hz). We hypothesized that this would not only drive endogenous alpha rhythms, but also affect temporal integration and segregation in an opposite way. However, the mc-tACS protocol used here did not consistently increase or decrease the IAF after the stimulation and did not affect temporal integration/segregation accuracy as expected. Although we found some preliminary evidence for an influence of tACS phase on temporal integration accuracy, the ongoing phase of mc-tACS oscillations did not reliably modulate temporal integration/segregation accuracy in a sinusoidal way as would have been predicted by an effective entrainment of brain oscillations. These findings may guide future studies using different stimulation montages for investigating the role of cortical alpha oscillations for human vision.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy.,Division of Neuroscience, Scientific Institute IRCCS San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.,Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - David Melcher
- Center for Mind/Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy.,Department of Psychology, New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Markus Junghöfer
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Carsten H Wolters
- Institute for Biomagnetism and Biosignalanalysis, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Niko A Busch
- Otto Creutzfeldt Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Institute of Psychology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Shen L, Han B, Chen L, Chen Q. Perceptual inference employs intrinsic alpha frequency to resolve perceptual ambiguity. PLoS Biol 2019; 17:e3000025. [PMID: 30865621 PMCID: PMC6433295 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Revised: 03/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain uses its intrinsic dynamics to actively predict observed sensory inputs, especially under perceptual ambiguity. However, it remains unclear how this inference process is neurally implemented in biasing perception of ambiguous inputs towards the predicted percepts. The process of perceptual inference can be well illustrated by the phenomenon of bistable apparent motion in the Ternus display, in which subjective perception spontaneously alternates between element motion (EM) and group motion (GM) percepts depending on whether two consecutively presented frames are grouped over time or not. The frequency of alpha-band oscillations has long been hypothesized to gate the temporal window of perceptual grouping over time. Under this hypothesis, variation in the intrinsic alpha frequency should predict perceptual outcome of the bistable Ternus display. Moreover, we hypothesize that the perception system employs this prior knowledge on intrinsic alpha frequency to resolve perceptual ambiguity, by shifting perceptual inference towards the predicted percepts. Using electroencephalography and intracranial recordings, we showed that both between and within subjects, lower prestimulus alpha frequencies (PAFs) predicted the EM percepts since the two frames fell in the same alpha cycle and got temporally integrated, while higher PAFs predicted the GM percepts since the two frames fell in different alpha cycles. Multivariate decoding analysis between the EM percepts with lower PAFs and the GM percepts with higher PAFs further revealed a representation of the subsequently reported bistable percept in the neural signals shortly before the actual appearance of the second frame. Therefore, perceptual inference, based on variation in intrinsic PAFs, biases poststimulus neural representations by inducing preactivation of the predicted percepts. In addition, enhanced prestimulus blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals and network dynamics in the frontoparietal network, together with reduced prestimulus alpha power, upon perceiving the EM percepts suggest that temporal grouping is an attention-demanding process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Shen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Biao Han
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Lihan Chen
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qi Chen
- Center for Studies of Psychological Application and School of Psychology, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.,Guangdong Key Laboratory of Mental Health and Cognitive Science, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China
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