Dealing with ocular artifacts on lateralized ERPs in studies of visual-spatial attention and memory: ICA correction versus epoch rejection.

PubMed

Drisdelle, Brandi Lee; Aubin, Sébrina; Jolicoeur, Pierre

2017-01-01

The objective of the present study was to assess the robustness and reliability of independent component analysis (ICA) as a method for ocular artifact correction in electrophysiological studies of visual-spatial attention and memory. The N2pc and sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN), electrophysiological markers of visual-spatial attention and memory, respectively, are lateralized posterior ERPs typically observed following the presentation of lateral stimuli (targets and distractors) along with instructions to maintain fixation on the center of the visual search for the entire trial. Traditionally, trials in which subjects may have displaced their gaze are rejected based on a cutoff threshold, minimizing electrophysiological contamination by saccades. Given the loss of data resulting from rejection, we examined ocular correction by comparing results using standard fixation instructions against a condition where subjects were instructed to shift their gaze toward possible targets. Both conditions were analyzed using a rejection threshold and ICA correction for saccade activity management. Results demonstrate that ICA conserves data that would have otherwise been removed and leaves the underlying neural activity intact, as demonstrated by experimental manipulations previously shown to modulate the N2pc and the SPCN. Not only does ICA salvage and not distort data, but also large eye movements had only subtle effects. Overall, the findings provide convincing evidence for ICA correction for not only special cases (e.g., subjects did not follow fixation instruction) but also as a candidate for standard ocular artifact management in electrophysiological studies interested in visual-spatial attention and memory. © 2016 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

Normative shifts of cortical mechanisms of encoding contribute to adult age differences in visual-spatial working memory.

PubMed

Störmer, Viola S; Li, Shu-Chen; Heekeren, Hauke R; Lindenberger, Ulman

2013-06-01

The capacity of visual-spatial working memory (WM) declines from early to late adulthood. Recent attempts at identifying neural correlates of WM capacity decline have focused on the maintenance phase of WM. Here, we investigate neural mechanisms during the encoding phase as another potential mechanism contributing to adult age differences in WM capacity. We used electroencephalography to track neural activity during encoding and maintenance on a millisecond timescale in 35 younger and 35 older adults performing a visual-spatial WM task. As predicted, we observed pronounced age differences in ERP indicators of WM encoding: Younger adults showed attentional selection during item encoding (N2pc component), but this selection mechanism was greatly attenuated in older adults. Conversely, older adults showed more pronounced signs of early perceptual stimulus processing (N1 component) than younger adults. The amplitude modulation of the N1 component predicted WM capacity in older adults, whereas the attentional amplitude modulation of the N2pc component predicted WM capacity in younger adults. Our findings suggest that adult age differences in mechanisms of WM encoding contribute to adult age differences in limits of visual-spatial WM capacity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effects of incentives on visual-spatial working memory in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Shiels, Keri; Hawk, Larry W; Lysczek, Cynthia L; Tannock, Rosemary; Pelham, William E; Spencer, Sarah V; Gangloff, Brian P; Waschbusch, Daniel A

2008-08-01

Working memory is one of several putative core neurocognitive processes in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The present work seeks to determine whether visual-spatial working memory is sensitive to motivational incentives, a laboratory analogue of behavioral treatment. Participants were 21 children (ages 7-10) with a diagnosis of ADHD-combined type. Participants completed a computerized spatial span task designed to assess storage of visual-spatial information (forward span) and manipulation of the stored information (backward span). The spatial span task was completed twice on the same day, once with a performance-based incentive (trial-wise feedback and points redeemable for prizes) and once without incentives. Participants performed significantly better on the backward span when rewarded for correct responses, compared to the no incentive condition. However, incentives had no effect on performance during the forward span. These findings may suggest the use of motivational incentives improved manipulation, but not storage, of visual-spatial information among children with ADHD. Possible explanations for the differential incentive effects are discussed, including the possibility that incentives prevented a vigilance decrement as task difficulty and time on task increased.

Neurocognitive Predictors of Mathematical Processing in School-Aged Children with Spina Bifida and Their Typically Developing Peers: Attention, Working Memory, and Fine Motor Skills

PubMed Central

Raghubar, Kimberly P.; Barnes, Marcia A.; Dennis, Maureen; Cirino, Paul T.; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2015-01-01

Objective Math and attention are related in neurobiological and behavioral models of mathematical cognition. This study employed model-driven assessments of attention and math in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), who have known math difficulties and specific attentional deficits, to more directly examine putative relations between attention and mathematical processing. The relation of other domain general abilities and math was also investigated. Method Participants were 9.5-year-old children with SBM (N = 44) and typically developing children (N = 50). Participants were administered experimental exact and approximate arithmetic tasks, and standardized measures of math fluency and calculation. Cognitive measures included the Attention Network Test (ANT), and standardized measures of fine motor skills, verbal working memory (WM), and visual-spatial WM. Results Children with SBM performed similarly to peers on exact arithmetic but more poorly on approximate and standardized arithmetic measures. On the ANT, children with SBM differed from controls on orienting attention but not alerting and executive attention. Multiple mediation models showed that: fine motor skills and verbal WM mediated the relation of group to approximate arithmetic; fine motor skills and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math fluency; and verbal and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math calculation. Attention was not a significant mediator of the effects of group for any aspect of math in this study. Conclusions Results are discussed with reference to models of attention, WM, and mathematical cognition. PMID:26011113

Neurocognitive predictors of mathematical processing in school-aged children with spina bifida and their typically developing peers: Attention, working memory, and fine motor skills.

PubMed

Raghubar, Kimberly P; Barnes, Marcia A; Dennis, Maureen; Cirino, Paul T; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan

2015-11-01

Math and attention are related in neurobiological and behavioral models of mathematical cognition. This study employed model-driven assessments of attention and math in children with spina bifida myelomeningocele (SBM), who have known math difficulties and specific attentional deficits, to more directly examine putative relations between attention and mathematical processing. The relation of other domain general abilities and math was also investigated. Participants were 9.5-year-old children with SBM (n = 44) and typically developing children (n = 50). Participants were administered experimental exact and approximate arithmetic tasks, and standardized measures of math fluency and calculation. Cognitive measures included the Attention Network Test (ANT), and standardized measures of fine motor skills, verbal working memory (WM), and visual-spatial WM. Children with SBM performed similarly to peers on exact arithmetic, but more poorly on approximate and standardized arithmetic measures. On the ANT, children with SBM differed from controls on orienting attention, but not on alerting and executive attention. Multiple mediation models showed that fine motor skills and verbal WM mediated the relation of group to approximate arithmetic; fine motor skills and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math fluency; and verbal and visual-spatial WM mediated the relation of group to math calculation. Attention was not a significant mediator of the effects of group for any aspect of math in this study. Results are discussed with reference to models of attention, WM, and mathematical cognition. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Presentation format effects in working memory: the role of attention.

PubMed

Foos, Paul W; Goolkasian, Paula

2005-04-01

Four experiments are reported in which participants attempted to remember three or six concrete nouns, presented as pictures, spoken words, or printed words, while also verifying the accuracy of sentences. Hypotheses meant to explain the higher recall of pictures and spoken words over printed words were tested. Increasing the difficulty and changing the type of processing task from arithmetic to a visual/spatial reasoning task did not influence recall. An examination of long-term modality effects showed that those effects were not sufficient to explain the superior performance with spoken words and pictures. Only when we manipulated the allocation of attention to the items in the storage task by requiring the participants to articulate the items and by presenting the stimulus items under a degraded condition were we able to reduce or remove the effect of presentation format. The findings suggest that the better recall of pictures and spoken words over printed words result from the fact that under normal presentation conditions, printed words receive less processing attention than pictures and spoken words do.

Do Multielement Visual Tracking and Visual Search Draw Continuously on the Same Visual Attention Resources?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alvarez, George A.; Horowitz, Todd S.; Arsenio, Helga C.; DiMase, Jennifer S.; Wolfe, Jeremy M.

2005-01-01

Multielement visual tracking and visual search are 2 tasks that are held to require visual-spatial attention. The authors used the attentional operating characteristic (AOC) method to determine whether both tasks draw continuously on the same attentional resource (i.e., whether the 2 tasks are mutually exclusive). The authors found that observers…

Visual-spatial processing and working-memory load as a function of negative and positive psychotic-like experiences.

PubMed

Abu-Akel, A; Reniers, R L E P; Wood, S J

2016-09-01

Patients with schizophrenia show impairments in working-memory and visual-spatial processing, but little is known about the dynamic interplay between the two. To provide insight into this important question, we examined the effect of positive and negative symptom expressions in healthy adults on perceptual processing while concurrently performing a working-memory task that requires the allocations of various degrees of cognitive resources. The effect of positive and negative symptom expressions in healthy adults (N = 91) on perceptual processing was examined in a dual-task paradigm of visual-spatial working memory (VSWM) under three conditions of cognitive load: a baseline condition (with no concurrent working-memory demand), a low VSWM load condition, and a high VSWM load condition. Participants overall performed more efficiently (i.e., faster) with increasing cognitive load. This facilitation in performance was unrelated to symptom expressions. However, participants with high-negative, low-positive symptom expressions were less accurate in the low VSWM condition compared to the baseline and the high VSWM load conditions. Attenuated, subclinical expressions of psychosis affect cognitive performance that is impaired in schizophrenia. The "resource limitations hypothesis" may explain the performance of the participants with high-negative symptom expressions. The dual-task of visual-spatial processing and working memory may be beneficial to assessing the cognitive phenotype of individuals with high risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders.

Good Holders, Bad Shufflers: An Examination of Working Memory Processes and Modalities in Children with and without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Simone, Ashley N; Bédard, Anne-Claude V; Marks, David J; Halperin, Jeffrey M

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine working memory (WM) modalities (visual-spatial and auditory-verbal) and processes (maintenance and manipulation) in children with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The sample consisted of 63 8-year-old children with ADHD and an age- and sex-matched non-ADHD comparison group (N=51). Auditory-verbal and visual-spatial WM were assessed using the Digit Span and Spatial Span subtests from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Integrated - Fourth Edition. WM maintenance and manipulation were assessed via forward and backward span indices, respectively. Data were analyzed using a 3-way Group (ADHD vs. non-ADHD)×Modality (Auditory-Verbal vs. Visual-Spatial)×Condition (Forward vs. Backward) Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Secondary analyses examined differences between Combined and Predominantly Inattentive ADHD presentations. Significant Group×Condition (p=.02) and Group×Modality (p=.03) interactions indicated differentially poorer performance by those with ADHD on backward relative to forward and visual-spatial relative to auditory-verbal tasks, respectively. The 3-way interaction was not significant. Analyses targeting ADHD presentations yielded a significant Group×Condition interaction (p=.009) such that children with ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive Presentation performed differentially poorer on backward relative to forward tasks compared to the children with ADHD-Combined Presentation. Findings indicate a specific pattern of WM weaknesses (i.e., WM manipulation and visual-spatial tasks) for children with ADHD. Furthermore, differential patterns of WM performance were found for children with ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive versus Combined Presentations. (JINS, 2016, 22, 1-11).

Clinical and cognitive correlates of visual hallucinations in dementia with Lewy bodies.

PubMed

Cagnin, Annachiara; Gnoato, Francesca; Jelcic, Nela; Favaretto, Silvia; Zarantonello, Giulia; Ermani, Mario; Dam, Mauro

2013-05-01

The presence of recurrent complex visual hallucinations (VHs) is a core feature of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB). The aim of this study was to investigate which clinical and neuropsychological characteristics are associated with VHs and their predictive value over a 1 year follow-up. 81 DLB patients, 41 with (VH+) and 36 without (VH-) VHs, and 45 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), were enrolled. All participants underwent extensive neuropsychological testing. Visual-spatial and perceptual abilities were evaluated with the Visual and Object Space Perception (VOSP) battery. Fluctuations in attention, rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) symptoms, extrapyramidal signs and behavioural disturbances were studied with dedicated clinical scales. The presence of VHs was associated with older age and later disease onset, but not with disease duration or with fluctuations, RBD or parkinsonism severity. Cognitive correlates of VHs were deficits in visual attention (digit cancellation: p<0.005) and executive functions (clock drawing: p<0.05; digit span forward: p<0.05) on a background of a slightly worse global cognitive performance (Mini-Mental State Examination: p=0.05). Visual-perceptual and visual-spatial deficits were significantly worse in DLB than in AD patients (VOSP subtests scores 1, 6, 7 and 8) but were not different in DLB VH+ and VH-, except for subtest 6. Poor performance in the visual attention task was an independent predictor of VHs. Impairment of visual-spatial and perceptual abilities in DLB represents a disease related cognitive signature, independent of the presence of VHs, for which it may represent a predisposing condition. Visual attention, instead, is the main cognitive determinant for the genesis of VHs.

Can motivation normalize working memory and task persistence in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder? The effects of money and computer-gaming.

PubMed

Dovis, Sebastiaan; Van der Oord, Saskia; Wiers, Reinout W; Prins, Pier J M

2012-07-01

Visual-spatial Working Memory (WM) is the most impaired executive function in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Some suggest that deficits in executive functioning are caused by motivational deficits. However, there are no studies that investigate the effects of motivation on the visual-spatial WM of children with- and without ADHD. Studies examining this in executive functions other than WM, show inconsistent results. These inconsistencies may be related to differences in the reinforcement used. The effects of different reinforcers on WM performance were investigated in 30 children with ADHD and 31 non-ADHD controls. A visual-spatial WM task was administered in four reinforcement conditions: Feedback-only, 1 euro, 10 euros, and a computer-game version of the task. In the Feedback-only condition, children with ADHD performed worse on the WM measure than controls. Although incentives significantly improved the WM performance of children with ADHD, even the strongest incentives (10 euros and Gaming) were unable to normalize their performance. Feedback-only provided sufficient reinforcement for controls to reach optimal performance, while children with ADHD required extra reinforcement. Only children with ADHD showed a decrease in performance over time. Importantly, the strongest incentives (10 euros and Gaming) normalized persistence of performance in these children, whereas 1 euro had no such effect. Both executive and motivational deficits give rise to visual-spatial WM deficits in ADHD. Problems with task-persistence in ADHD result from motivational deficits. In ADHD-reinforcement studies and clinical practice (e.g., assessment), reinforcement intensity can be a confounding factor and should be taken into account. Gaming can be a cost-effective way to maximize performance in ADHD.

Isolating Attention Systems: A Cognitive-Anatomical Analysis. Cognitive Science Program, Technical Report No. 86-3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Posner, Michael I.; And Others

Recently, knowledge of the mechanisms of visual-spatial attention has improved due to studies employing single cell recording with alert monkeys and studies using performance analysis of neurological patients. These studies suggest that a complex neural network including parts of the posterior parietal lobe and midbrain are involved in covert…

Dopaminergic and Cholinergic Modulations of Visual-Spatial Attention and Working Memory: Insights from Molecular Genetic Research and Implications for Adult Cognitive Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stormer, Viola S.; Passow, Susanne; Biesenack, Julia; Li, Shu-Chen

2012-01-01

Attention and working memory are fundamental for selecting and maintaining behaviorally relevant information. Not only do both processes closely intertwine at the cognitive level, but they implicate similar functional brain circuitries, namely the frontoparietal and the frontostriatal networks, which are innervated by cholinergic and dopaminergic…

Effects of methylphenidate on working memory components: influence of measurement.

PubMed

Bedard, Anne-Claude; Jain, Umesh; Johnson, Sheilah Hogg; Tannock, Rosemary

2007-09-01

To investigate the effects of methylphenidate (MPH) on components of working memory (WM) in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and determine the responsiveness of WM measures to MPH. Participants were a clinical sample of 50 children and adolescents with ADHD, aged 6 to 16 years old, who participated in an acute randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial with single challenges of three MPH doses. Four components of WM were investigated, which varied in processing demands (storage versus manipulation of information) and modality (auditory-verbal; visual-spatial), each of which was indexed by a minimum of two separate measures. MPH improved the ability to store visual-spatial information irrespective of instrument used, but had no effects on the storage of auditory-verbal information. By contrast, MPH enhanced the ability to manipulate both auditory-verbal and visual-spatial information, although effects were instrument specific in both cases. MPH effects on WM are selective: they vary as a function of WM component and measurement.

Effects of Spatial and Non-Spatial Multi-Modal Cues on Orienting of Visual-Spatial Attention in an Augmented Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-11-01

information into awareness. Broadbent’s (1958) " Filter " model of attention (see Figure 1) maps the flow of information from the senses through a number of...benefits of an attentional cueing paradigm can be explained within these models . For example, the selective filter is augmented by the information...capacity filter ’, while Wickens’ model represents this with a limited amount of ’attentional resources’ available to perception, decision making

Exploring Neuropsychology: Seeking Evidence of Added Worth to School Psychology Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sassu, Kari A.; Gelbar, Nicholas W.; Bray, Melissa A.; Kehle, Thomas J.; Patwa, Shamim

2015-01-01

Historically, school psychological assessment has included the core elements of cognitive, academic, and behavioral indices. Neuropsychological assessment has included these and the additional elements of attention, memory, language, visual-spatial, motor, sensory, and executive functioning (American Psychological Association, 2006). With the…

Sensory gain control (amplification) as a mechanism of selective attention: electrophysiological and neuroimaging evidence.

PubMed Central

Hillyard, S A; Vogel, E K; Luck, S J

1998-01-01

Both physiological and behavioral studies have suggested that stimulus-driven neural activity in the sensory pathways can be modulated in amplitude during selective attention. Recordings of event-related brain potentials indicate that such sensory gain control or amplification processes play an important role in visual-spatial attention. Combined event-related brain potential and neuroimaging experiments provide strong evidence that attentional gain control operates at an early stage of visual processing in extrastriate cortical areas. These data support early selection theories of attention and provide a basis for distinguishing between separate mechanisms of attentional suppression (of unattended inputs) and attentional facilitation (of attended inputs). PMID:9770220

Differences in Memory Functioning between Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Focal Epilepsy

PubMed Central

Lee, Sylvia E.; Kibby, Michelle Y.; Cohen, Morris J.; Stanford, Lisa; Park, Yong; Strickland, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Prior research has shown that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy are frequently comorbid and that both disorders are associated with various attention and memory problems. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted comparing the two disorders in one sample to determine unique versus shared deficits. Hence, we investigated differences in working memory and short-term and delayed recall between children with ADHD, focal epilepsy of mixed foci, comorbid ADHD/epilepsy and controls. Participants were compared on the Core subtests and the Picture Locations subtest of the Children’s Memory Scale (CMS). Results indicated that children with ADHD displayed intact verbal working memory and long-term memory (LTM), as well as intact performance on most aspects of short-term memory (STM). They performed worse than controls on Numbers Forward and Picture Locations, suggesting problems with focused attention and simple span for visual-spatial material. Conversely, children with epilepsy displayed poor focused attention and STM regardless of modality assessed, which affected encoding into LTM. The only loss over time was found for passages (Stories). Working memory was intact. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy displayed focused attention and STM/LTM problems consistent with both disorders, having the lowest scores across the four groups. Hence, focused attention and visual-spatial span appear to be affected in both disorders, whereas additional STM/encoding problems are specific to epilepsy. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy have deficits consistent with both disorders, with slight additive effects. This study suggests that attention and memory testing should be a regular part of the evaluation of children with epilepsy and ADHD. PMID:26156331

[Formula: see text]Differences in memory functioning between children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and/or focal epilepsy.

PubMed

Lee, Sylvia E; Kibby, Michelle Y; Cohen, Morris J; Stanford, Lisa; Park, Yong; Strickland, Suzanne

2016-01-01

Prior research has shown that attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy are frequently comorbid and that both disorders are associated with various attention and memory problems. Nonetheless, limited research has been conducted comparing the two disorders in one sample to determine unique versus shared deficits. Hence, we investigated differences in working memory (WM) and short-term and delayed recall between children with ADHD, focal epilepsy of mixed foci, comorbid ADHD/epilepsy and controls. Participants were compared on the Core subtests and the Picture Locations subtest of the Children's Memory Scale (CMS). Results indicated that children with ADHD displayed intact verbal WM and long-term memory (LTM), as well as intact performance on most aspects of short-term memory (STM). They performed worse than controls on Numbers Forward and Picture Locations, suggesting problems with focused attention and simple span for visual-spatial material. Conversely, children with epilepsy displayed poor focused attention and STM regardless of the modality assessed, which affected encoding into LTM. The only loss over time was found for passages (Stories). WM was intact. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy displayed focused attention and STM/LTM problems consistent with both disorders, having the lowest scores across the four groups. Hence, focused attention and visual-spatial span appear to be affected in both disorders, whereas additional STM/encoding problems are specific to epilepsy. Children with comorbid ADHD/epilepsy have deficits consistent with both disorders, with slight additive effects. This study suggests that attention and memory testing should be a regular part of the evaluation of children with epilepsy and ADHD.

Neural Correlates of Visual-Spatial Attention in Electrocorticographic Signals in Humans

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-23

PEST) procedure (Taylor and Creelman , 1967; Hammett and Snowden, 1995) that was run at the beginning of the session. The PEST procedure selected the...Medical Publishers, Inc. Taylor, M. M., and Creelman , C. D. (1967). PEST: efficient estimates on probabil- ity functions. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 41

Cognitive functioning following traumatic brain injury: A five-year follow-up.

PubMed

Marsh, Nigel V; Ludbrook, Maria R; Gaffaney, Lauren C

2016-01-01

To describe the long-term prevalence and severity of cognitive deficits following significant (i.e., ventilation required for >24 hours) traumatic brain injury. To assess a comprehensive range of cognitive functions using psychometric measures with established normative, reliability, and validity data. A group of 71 adults was assessed at approximately five years (mean = 66 months) following injury. Assessment of cognitive functioning covered the domains of intelligence, attention, verbal and visual memory, visual-spatial construction, and executive functions. Impairment was evident across all domains but prevalence varied both within and between domains. Across aspects of intelligence clinical impairment ranged from 8-25% , attention 39-62% , verbal memory 16-46% , visual memory 23-51% , visual-spatial construction 38% , and executive functions (verbal fluency) 13% . In addition, 3-23% of performances across the measures were in the borderline range, suggesting a high prevalence of subclinical deficit. Although the prevalence of impairment may vary across cognitive domains, long-term follow-up documented deficits in all six domains. These findings provide further evidence that while improvement of cognitive functioning following significant traumatic brain injury may be possible, recovery of function is unlikely.

The effect of cognitive-based training for the healthy older people: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PubMed Central

Chiu, Huei-Ling; Chu, Hsin; Tsai, Jui-Chen; Liu, Doresses; Chen, Ying-Ren; Yang, Hui-Ling

2017-01-01

Background From the perspective of disease prevention, the enhancement of cognitive function among the healthy older people has become an important issue in many countries lately. This study aim to investigate the effect of cognitive-based training on the overall cognitive function, memory, attention, executive function, and visual-spatial ability of the healthy older people. Methods Cochrane, PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and CINAHL of selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs), and previous systematic reviews were searched for eligible studies. The population focused on this study were healthy older people who participated in randomized controlled trials that investigated the effectiveness of cognitive-based training. The outcomes including change in overall cognitive function, memory, attention, executive function, and visual-spatial ability. Results We collected a total of 31 RCTs, the results showed that cognitive-based training has a moderate effect on overall cognitive function (g = 0.419; 95%CI = 0.205–0.634) and executive function (g = 0.420; 95%CI = 0.239–0.602), and a small effect on the memory (g = 0.354; 95%CI = 0.244–0.465), attention (g = 0.218; 95%CI = 0.125–0.311), and visual-spatial ability (g = 0.183;95%CI = 0.015–0.352) in healthy older people. Subgroup analysis indicated the intervention characteristics of ≧3 times each week (p = 0.042), ≧8 total training weeks (p = 0.003) and ≧24 total training sessions (p = 0.040) yields a greater effect size. Conclusions Cognitive-based training is effective for the healthy older people. This improvement can represent a clinically important benefit, provide information about the use of cognitive-based training in healthy older people, and help the healthy older people obtain the greatest possible benefit in health promotion and disease prevention. PMID:28459873

Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Silverman, Linda Kreger

This book describes the unique characteristics of visual-spatial learners and teaching techniques designed for this population. Following a quiz to identify visual-spatial learners, chapters address: (1) how visual-spatial learners think and the plight of being non-sequential; (2) the power of the right hemisphere, eye movement patterns, and…

The Diagnosis Dilemma: Dyslexia and Visual-Spatial Ability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotsopoulos, Donna; Zambrzycka, Joanna; Makosz, Samantha; Asdrubolini, Emma; Babic, Jovana; Best, Olivia; Bines, Tara; Cook, Samantha; Farrell, Natalie; Gisondi, Victoria; Scott, Meghan; Siderius, Christina; Smith, Dyoni

2017-01-01

Visual-spatial ability is important for mathematics learning but also for future STEM participation. Some studies report children with dyslexia have superior visual-spatial skills and other studies report a deficit. We sought to further explore the relationship between children formally identified as having dyslexia and visual-spatial ability.…

Understanding Language, Hearing Status, and Visual-Spatial Skills

PubMed Central

Marschark, Marc; Spencer, Linda J.; Durkin, Andreana; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol; Machmer, Elizabeth; Kronenberger, William G.; Trani, Alexandra

2015-01-01

It is frequently assumed that deaf individuals have superior visual-spatial abilities relative to hearing peers and thus, in educational settings, they are often considered visual learners. There is some empirical evidence to support the former assumption, although it is inconsistent, and apparently none to support the latter. Three experiments examined visual-spatial and related cognitive abilities among deaf individuals who varied in their preferred language modality and use of cochlear implants (CIs) and hearing individuals who varied in their sign language skills. Sign language and spoken language assessments accompanied tasks involving visual-spatial processing, working memory, nonverbal logical reasoning, and executive function. Results were consistent with other recent studies indicating no generalized visual-spatial advantage for deaf individuals and suggested that their performance in that domain may be linked to the strength of their preferred language skills regardless of modality. Hearing individuals performed more strongly than deaf individuals on several visual-spatial and self-reported executive functioning measures, regardless of sign language skills or use of CIs. Findings are inconsistent with assumptions that deaf individuals are visual learners or are superior to hearing individuals across a broad range of visual-spatial tasks. Further, performance of deaf and hearing individuals on the same visual-spatial tasks was associated with differing cognitive abilities, suggesting that different cognitive processes may be involved in visual-spatial processing in these groups. PMID:26141071

Performance in a Visual Search Task Uniquely Predicts Reading Abilities in Third-Grade Hong Kong Chinese Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Duo; Chen, Xi; Chung, Kevin K. H.

2015-01-01

This study examined the relation between the performance in a visual search task and reading ability in 92 third-grade Hong Kong Chinese children. The visual search task, which is considered a measure of visual-spatial attention, accounted for unique variance in Chinese character reading after controlling for age, nonverbal intelligence,…

Understanding Language, Hearing Status, and Visual-Spatial Skills.

PubMed

Marschark, Marc; Spencer, Linda J; Durkin, Andreana; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol; Machmer, Elizabeth; Kronenberger, William G; Trani, Alexandra

2015-10-01

It is frequently assumed that deaf individuals have superior visual-spatial abilities relative to hearing peers and thus, in educational settings, they are often considered visual learners. There is some empirical evidence to support the former assumption, although it is inconsistent, and apparently none to support the latter. Three experiments examined visual-spatial and related cognitive abilities among deaf individuals who varied in their preferred language modality and use of cochlear implants (CIs) and hearing individuals who varied in their sign language skills. Sign language and spoken language assessments accompanied tasks involving visual-spatial processing, working memory, nonverbal logical reasoning, and executive function. Results were consistent with other recent studies indicating no generalized visual-spatial advantage for deaf individuals and suggested that their performance in that domain may be linked to the strength of their preferred language skills regardless of modality. Hearing individuals performed more strongly than deaf individuals on several visual-spatial and self-reported executive functioning measures, regardless of sign language skills or use of CIs. Findings are inconsistent with assumptions that deaf individuals are visual learners or are superior to hearing individuals across a broad range of visual-spatial tasks. Further, performance of deaf and hearing individuals on the same visual-spatial tasks was associated with differing cognitive abilities, suggesting that different cognitive processes may be involved in visual-spatial processing in these groups. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The case against specialized visual-spatial short-term memory.

PubMed

Morey, Candice C

2018-05-24

The dominant paradigm for understanding working memory, or the combination of the perceptual, attentional, and mnemonic processes needed for thinking, subdivides short-term memory (STM) according to whether memoranda are encoded in aural-verbal or visual formats. This traditional dissociation has been supported by examples of neuropsychological patients who seem to selectively lack STM for either aural-verbal, visual, or spatial memoranda, and by experimental research using dual-task methods. Though this evidence is the foundation of assumptions of modular STM systems, the case it makes for a specialized visual STM system is surprisingly weak. I identify the key evidence supporting a distinct verbal STM system-patients with apparent selective damage to verbal STM and the resilience of verbal short-term memories to general dual-task interference-and apply these benchmarks to neuropsychological and experimental investigations of visual-spatial STM. Contrary to the evidence on verbal STM, patients with apparent visual or spatial STM deficits tend to experience a wide range of additional deficits, making it difficult to conclude that a distinct short-term store was damaged. Consistently with this, a meta-analysis of dual-task visual-spatial STM research shows that robust dual-task costs are consistently observed regardless of the domain or sensory code of the secondary task. Together, this evidence suggests that positing a specialized visual STM system is not necessary. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

The essence of student visual-spatial literacy and higher order thinking skills in undergraduate biology.

PubMed

Milner-Bolotin, Marina; Nashon, Samson Madera

2012-02-01

Science, engineering and mathematics-related disciplines have relied heavily on a researcher's ability to visualize phenomena under study and being able to link and superimpose various abstract and concrete representations including visual, spatial, and temporal. The spatial representations are especially important in all branches of biology (in developmental biology time becomes an important dimension), where 3D and often 4D representations are crucial for understanding the phenomena. By the time biology students get to undergraduate education, they are supposed to have acquired visual-spatial thinking skills, yet it has been documented that very few undergraduates and a small percentage of graduate students have had a chance to develop these skills to a sufficient degree. The current paper discusses the literature that highlights the essence of visual-spatial thinking and the development of visual-spatial literacy, considers the application of the visual-spatial thinking to biology education, and proposes how modern technology can help to promote visual-spatial literacy and higher order thinking among undergraduate students of biology.

Relationship between Reaction Time, Fine Motor Control, and Visual-Spatial Perception on Vigilance and Visual-Motor Tasks in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howley, Sarah A.; Prasad, Sarah E.; Pender, Niall P.; Murphy, Kieran C.

2012-01-01

22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome (22q11DS) is a common microdeletion disorder associated with mild to moderate intellectual disability and specific neurocognitive deficits, particularly in visual-motor and attentional abilities. Currently there is evidence that the visual-motor profile of 22q11DS is not entirely mediated by intellectual disability and…

Neural Plastic Effects of Cognitive Training on Aging Brain

PubMed Central

Leung, Natalie T. Y.; Tam, Helena M. K.; Chu, Leung W.; Kwok, Timothy C. Y.; Chan, Felix; Lam, Linda C. W.; Woo, Jean; Lee, Tatia M. C.

2015-01-01

Increasing research has evidenced that our brain retains a capacity to change in response to experience until late adulthood. This implies that cognitive training can possibly ameliorate age-associated cognitive decline by inducing training-specific neural plastic changes at both neural and behavioral levels. This longitudinal study examined the behavioral effects of a systematic thirteen-week cognitive training program on attention and working memory of older adults who were at risk of cognitive decline. These older adults were randomly assigned to the Cognitive Training Group (n = 109) and the Active Control Group (n = 100). Findings clearly indicated that training induced improvement in auditory and visual-spatial attention and working memory. The training effect was specific to the experience provided because no significant difference in verbal and visual-spatial memory between the two groups was observed. This pattern of findings is consistent with the prediction and the principle of experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Findings of our study provided further support to the notion that the neural plastic potential continues until older age. The baseline cognitive status did not correlate with pre- versus posttraining changes to any cognitive variables studied, suggesting that the initial cognitive status may not limit the neuroplastic potential of the brain at an old age. PMID:26417460

The effects of age and workload on 3D spatial attention in dual-task driving.

PubMed

Pierce, Russell S; Andersen, George J

2014-06-01

In the present study we assessed whether the limits in visual-spatial attention associated with aging affect the spatial extent of attention in depth during driving performance. Drivers in the present study performed a car-following and light-detection task. To assess the extent of visual-spatial attention, we compared reaction times and accuracy to light change targets that varied in horizontal position and depth location. In addition, because workload has been identified as a factor that can change the horizontal and vertical extent of attention, we tested whether variability of the lead car speed influenced the extent of spatial attention for younger or older drivers. For younger drivers, reaction time (RT) to light-change targets varied as a function of distance and horizontal position. For older drivers RT varied only as a function of distance. There was a distance by horizontal position interaction for younger drivers but not for older drivers. Specifically, there was no effect of horizontal position at any given level of depth for older drivers. However, for younger drivers there was an effect of horizontal position for targets further in depth but not for targets nearer in depth. With regards to workload, we found no statistically reliable evidence that variability of the lead car speed had an effect on the spatial extent of attention for younger or older drivers. In a control experiment, we examined the effects of depth on light detection when the projected size and position of the targets was constant. Consistent with our previous results, we found that drivers' reaction time to light-change targets varied as a function of distance even when 2D position and size were controlled. Given that depth is an important dimension in driving performance, an important issue for assessing driving safety is to consider the limits of attention in the depth dimension. Therefore, we suggest that future research should consider the importance of depth as a dimension of spatial attention in relation to the assessment of driving performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A pilot study of working memory and academic achievement in college students with ADHD.

PubMed

Gropper, Rachel J; Tannock, Rosemary

2009-05-01

To investigate working memory (WM), academic achievement, and their relationship in university students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants were university students with previously confirmed diagnoses of ADHD (n = 16) and normal control (NC) students (n = 30). Participants completed 3 auditory-verbal WM measures, 2 visual-spatial WM measures, and 1 control executive function task. Also, they self-reported grade point averages (GPAs) based on university courses. The ADHD group displayed significant weaknesses on auditory-verbal WM tasks and 1 visual-spatial task. They also showed a nonsignificant trend for lower GPAs. Within the entire sample, there was a significant relationship between GPA and auditory-verbal WM. WM impairments are evident in a subgroup of the ADHD population attending university. WM abilities are linked with, and thus may compromise, academic attainment. Parents and physicians are advised to counsel university-bound students with ADHD to contact the university accessibility services to provide them with academic guidance.

Growing Up After Critical Illness: Verbal, Visual-Spatial, and Working Memory Problems in Neonatal Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Survivors.

PubMed

Madderom, Marlous J; Schiller, Raisa M; Gischler, Saskia J; van Heijst, Arno F J; Tibboel, Dick; Aarsen, Femke K; IJsselstijn, Hanneke

2016-06-01

To assess neuropsychologic outcome in 17- and 18-year-old neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation survivors. A prospective longitudinal follow-up study. Follow-up program at the Erasmus MC-Sophia Children's Hospital in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Thirty adolescents 17 or 18 years old, treated between 1991 and 1997, underwent neuropsychologic assessment. None. Attention, memory, executive functioning, visual-spatial functions, social-emotional functioning, and behavior were assessed with validated instruments, and data were compared with reference data. Included predictors for analysis of adverse outcome were diagnosis, age at start extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, convulsions, and use of antiepileptics. Adolescents' performance (expressed as mean [SD] z score) was significantly lower than the norm on short-term and long-term verbal memory (z score = -1.40 [1.58], p = 0.016; z score = -1.54 [1.67], p = 0.010, respectively), visual-spatial memory (z score = -1.65 [1.37], p = 0.008; z score = -1.70 [1.23], p = 0.008, respectively), and working memory (32% vs 9% in the norm population). Parents reported more problems for their children regarding organization of materials (z score = -0.60 [0.90]; p = 0.03) and behavior evaluation (z score = -0.53 [0.88]; p = 0.05) on a questionnaire. Patients reported more withdrawn/depressed behavior (z score = -0.47 [0.54]; p = 0.02), somatic complaints (z score = -0.43 [0.48]; p = 0.03), and social problems (z score = -0.41 [0.46]; p = 0.04). Patients reported more positive feelings of self-esteem and an average health status. Adolescents treated with neonatal extracorporeal membrane oxygenation are at risk of verbal, visual-spatial, and working memory problems. Future research should focus on 1) the longitudinal outcome of specific neuropsychologic skills in adolescence and adulthood; 2) identifying risk factors of neuropsychologic dysfunction; 3) evaluating to what extent "severity of illness" is responsible for acquired brain injury; and 4) effects of timely cognitive rehabilitation.

Effect of Visual-Spatial Ability on Medical Students' Performance in a Gross Anatomy Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lufler, Rebecca S.; Zumwalt, Ann C.; Romney, Carla A.; Hoagland, Todd M.

2012-01-01

The ability to mentally manipulate objects in three dimensions is essential to the practice of many clinical medical specialties. The relationship between this type of visual-spatial ability and performance in preclinical courses such as medical gross anatomy is poorly understood. This study determined if visual-spatial ability is associated with…

Global-local visual biases correspond with visual-spatial orientation.

PubMed

Basso, Michael R; Lowery, Natasha

2004-02-01

Within the past decade, numerous investigations have demonstrated reliable associations of global-local visual processing biases with right and left hemisphere function, respectively (cf. Van Kleeck, 1989). Yet the relevance of these biases to other cognitive functions is not well understood. Towards this end, the present research examined the relationship between global-local visual biases and perception of visual-spatial orientation. Twenty-six women and 23 men completed a global-local judgment task (Kimchi and Palmer, 1982) and the Judgment of Line Orientation Test (JLO; Benton, Sivan, Hamsher, Varney, and Spreen, 1994), a measure of visual-spatial orientation. As expected, men had better performance on JLO. Extending previous findings, global biases were related to better visual-spatial acuity on JLO. The findings suggest that global-local biases and visual-spatial orientation may share underlying cerebral mechanisms. Implications of these findings for other visually mediated cognitive outcomes are discussed.

Cognitive deficits and predictors 3 years after diagnosis of a pilocytic astrocytoma in childhood.

PubMed

Aarsen, Femke K; Paquier, Philippe F; Arts, Willem-Frans; Van Veelen, Marie-Lise; Michiels, Erna; Lequin, Maarten; Catsman-Berrevoets, Coriene E

2009-07-20

PURPOSE To prospectively study cognitive deficits and predictors 3 years after diagnosis in a large series of pediatric patients treated for pilocytic astrocytoma (PA). PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-one of 67 children were grouped according to infratentorial, supratentorial midline, and supratentorial hemispheric site. Intelligence, memory, attention, language, visual-spatial, and executive functions were assessed. Included predictors were sex, age, relapse, diagnosis-assessment interval, hydrocephalus, kind of treatment, and tumor variables. Results All children with PA had problems with sustained attention and speed. In the infratentorial group, there also were deficits in verbal intelligence, visual-spatial memory, executive functioning, and naming. Verbal intelligence and verbal memory problems occurred in the brainstem tumor group. The supratentorial hemispheric tumor group had additional problems with selective attention and executive functioning, and the supratentorial midline tumor group displayed no extra impairments. More specifically, the dorsal supratentorial midline tumor group displayed problems with language and verbal memory. Predictors for lower cognitive functioning were hydrocephalus, radiotherapy, residual tumor size, and age; predictors for better functioning were chemotherapy or treatment of hydrocephalus. Almost 60% of children had problems with academic achievement, for which risk factors were relapse and younger age at diagnosis. CONCLUSION Despite normal intelligence at long-term follow-up, children treated for PA display invalidating cognitive impairments. Adequate treatment of hydrocephalus is important for a more favorable long-term cognitive outcome. Even children without initial severe deficits may develop cognitive impairments years after diagnosis, partly because of the phenomenon of growing into deficit, which has devastating implications for academic achievement and quality of life (QOL).

Gender Differences in Toddlers' Visual-Spatial Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kotsopoulos, Donna; Zambrzycka, Joanna; Makosz, Samantha

2017-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether there are visual-spatial gender differences in two-year-olds, to investigate the environmental and cognitive factors that contribute to two-year-olds' visual-spatial skills, and to explore whether these factors differ for boys and girls. Children (N = 63; M[subscript age] = 28.17 months)…

Maternal play behaviors, child negativity, and preterm or low birthweight toddlers' visual-spatial outcomes: testing a differential susceptibility hypothesis.

PubMed

Dilworth-Bart, Janean E; Miller, Kyle E; Hane, Amanda

2012-04-01

We examined the joint roles of child negative emotionality and parenting in the visual-spatial development of toddlers born preterm or with low birthweights (PTLBW). Neonatal risk data were collected at hospital discharge, observer- and parent-rated child negative emotionality was assessed at 9-months postterm, and mother-initiated task changes and flexibility during play were observed during a dyadic play interaction at 16-months postterm. Abbreviated IQ scores, and verbal/nonverbal and visual-spatial processing data were collected at 24-months postterm. Hierarchical regression analyses did not support our hypothesis that the visual-spatial processing of PTLBW toddlers with higher negative emotionality would be differentially susceptible to parenting behaviors during play. Instead, observer-rated distress and a negativity composite score were associated with less optimal visual-spatial processing when mothers were more flexible during the 16-month play interaction. Mother-initiated task changes did not interact with any of the negative emotionality variables to predict any of the 24-month neurocognitive outcomes, nor did maternal flexibility interact with mother-rated difficult temperament to predict the visual-spatial processing outcomes. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Deciding where to attend: Large-scale network mechanisms underlying attention and intention revealed by graph-theoretic analysis.

PubMed

Liu, Yuelu; Hong, Xiangfei; Bengson, Jesse J; Kelley, Todd A; Ding, Mingzhou; Mangun, George R

2017-08-15

The neural mechanisms by which intentions are transformed into actions remain poorly understood. We investigated the network mechanisms underlying spontaneous voluntary decisions about where to focus visual-spatial attention (willed attention). Graph-theoretic analysis of two independent datasets revealed that regions activated during willed attention form a set of functionally-distinct networks corresponding to the frontoparietal network, the cingulo-opercular network, and the dorsal attention network. Contrasting willed attention with instructed attention (where attention is directed by external cues), we observed that the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex was allied with the dorsal attention network in instructed attention, but shifted connectivity during willed attention to interact with the cingulo-opercular network, which then mediated communications between the frontoparietal network and the dorsal attention network. Behaviorally, greater connectivity in network hubs, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and the inferior parietal lobule, was associated with faster reaction times. These results, shown to be consistent across the two independent datasets, uncover the dynamic organization of functionally-distinct networks engaged to support intentional acts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predictors of reading fluency in Italian orthography: evidence from a cross-sectional study of primary school students.

PubMed

Tobia, Valentina; Marzocchi, Gian Marco

2014-01-01

This study investigates the role of linguistic and visuospatial attentional processes in predicting reading fluency in typical Italian readers attending primary school. Tasks were administered to 651 children with reading fluency z scores > -1.5 standard deviation to evaluate their phonological awareness, rapid automatized naming (RAN), verbal short-term memory, vocabulary, visual search skills, verbal-visual recall, and visual-spatial attention. Hybrid models combining confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were used to evaluate the data obtained from younger (first and second grade) and older (third-fifth grade) children, respectively. The results showed that phonological awareness and RAN played a significant role among younger children, while also vocabulary, verbal short-term memory, and visuospatial attention were significant factors among older children.

Disentangling fine motor skills' relations to academic achievement: the relative contributions of visual-spatial integration and visual-motor coordination.

PubMed

Carlson, Abby G; Rowe, Ellen; Curby, Timothy W

2013-01-01

Recent research has established a connection between children's fine motor skills and their academic performance. Previous research has focused on fine motor skills measured prior to elementary school, while the present sample included children ages 5-18 years old, making it possible to examine whether this link remains relevant throughout childhood and adolescence. Furthermore, the majority of research linking fine motor skills and academic achievement has not determined which specific components of fine motor skill are driving this relation. The few studies that have looked at associations of separate fine motor tasks with achievement suggest that copying tasks that tap visual-spatial integration skills are most closely related to achievement. The present study examined two separate elements of fine motor skills--visual-motor coordination and visual-spatial integration--and their associations with various measures of academic achievement. Visual-motor coordination was measured using tracing tasks, while visual-spatial integration was measured using copy-a-figure tasks. After controlling for gender, socioeconomic status, IQ, and visual-motor coordination, and visual-spatial integration explained significant variance in children's math and written expression achievement. Knowing that visual-spatial integration skills are associated with these two achievement domains suggests potential avenues for targeted math and writing interventions for children of all ages.

Sex differences in visual-spatial working memory: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Voyer, Daniel; Voyer, Susan D; Saint-Aubin, Jean

2017-04-01

Visual-spatial working memory measures are widely used in clinical and experimental settings. Furthermore, it has been argued that the male advantage in spatial abilities can be explained by a sex difference in visual-spatial working memory. Therefore, sex differences in visual-spatial working memory have important implication for research, theory, and practice, but they have yet to be quantified. The present meta-analysis quantified the magnitude of sex differences in visual-spatial working memory and examined variables that might moderate them. The analysis used a set of 180 effect sizes from healthy males and females drawn from 98 samples ranging in mean age from 3 to 86 years. Multilevel meta-analysis was used on the overall data set to account for non-independent effect sizes. The data also were analyzed in separate task subgroups by means of multilevel and mixed-effects models. Results showed a small but significant male advantage (mean d = 0.155, 95 % confidence interval = 0.087-0.223). All the tasks produced a male advantage, except for memory for location, where a female advantage emerged. Age of the participants was a significant moderator, indicating that sex differences in visual-spatial working memory appeared first in the 13-17 years age group. Removing memory for location tasks from the sample affected the pattern of significant moderators. The present results indicate a male advantage in visual-spatial working memory, although age and specific task modulate the magnitude and direction of the effects. Implications for clinical applications, cognitive model building, and experimental research are discussed.

A Novel Eye-Tracking Method to Assess Attention Allocation in Individuals with and without Aphasia Using a Dual-Task Paradigm

PubMed Central

Heuer, Sabine; Hallowell, Brooke

2015-01-01

Numerous authors report that people with aphasia have greater difficulty allocating attention than people without neurological disorders. Studying how attention deficits contribute to language deficits is important. However, existing methods for indexing attention allocation in people with aphasia pose serious methodological challenges. Eye-tracking methods have great potential to address such challenges. We developed and assessed the validity of a new dual-task method incorporating eye tracking to assess attention allocation. Twenty-six adults with aphasia and 33 control participants completed auditory sentence comprehension and visual search tasks. To test whether the new method validly indexes well-documented patterns in attention allocation, demands were manipulated by varying task complexity in single- and dual-task conditions. Differences in attention allocation were indexed via eye-tracking measures. For all participants significant increases in attention allocation demands were observed from single- to dual-task conditions and from simple to complex stimuli. Individuals with aphasia had greater difficulty allocating attention with greater task demands. Relationships between eye-tracking indices of comprehension during single and dual tasks and standardized testing were examined. Results support the validity of the novel eye-tracking method for assessing attention allocation in people with and without aphasia. Clinical and research implications are discussed. PMID:25913549

Unconscious cues bias first saccades in a free-saccade task.

PubMed

Huang, Yu-Feng; Tan, Edlyn Gui Fang; Soon, Chun Siong; Hsieh, Po-Jang

2014-10-01

Visual-spatial attention can be biased towards salient visual information without visual awareness. It is unclear, however, whether such bias can further influence free-choices such as saccades in a free viewing task. In our experiment, we presented visual cues below awareness threshold immediately before people made free saccades. Our results showed that masked cues could influence the direction and latency of the first free saccade, suggesting that salient visual information can unconsciously influence free actions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate if Computerized Cognitive Rehabilitation Improves Neurocognition in Ugandan Children with HIV.

PubMed

Boivin, Michael J; Nakasujja, Noeline; Sikorskii, Alla; Opoka, Robert O; Giordani, Bruno

2016-08-01

Clinically stable children with HIV can have neuromotor, attention, memory, visual-spatial, and executive function impairments. We evaluated neuropsychological and behavioral benefits of computerized cognitive rehabilitation training (CCRT) in Ugandan HIV children. One hundred fifty-nine rural Ugandan children with WHO Stage I or II HIV disease (6 to 12 years; 77 boys, 82 girls; M = 8.9, SD = 1.86 years) were randomized to one of three treatment arms over a 2-month period. The CCRT arm received 24 one-hour sessions over 2 months, using Captain's Log (BrainTrain Corporation) programmed for games targeting working memory, attention, and visual-spatial analysis. These games progressed in difficulty as the child's performance improved. The second arm was a "limited CCRT" with the same games rotated randomly from simple to moderate levels of training. The third arm was a passive control group receiving no training. All children were assessed at enrollment, 2 months (immediately following CCRT), and 3 months after CCRT completion. The CCRT group had significantly greater gains through 3 months of follow-up compared to passive controls on overall Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-second edition (KABC-II) mental processing index (p < .01), planning (p = .04), and knowledge (p = .03). The limited CCRT group performed better than controls on learning (p = .05). Both CCRT arms had significant improvements on CogState Groton maze learning (p < .01); although not on CogState attention/memory, TOVA/impulsivity, or behavior rating inventory for executive function and child behavior checklist (psychiatric behavior/symptom problems) ratings by caregiver. CCRT intervention can be effective for neurocognitive rehabilitation in children with HIV in low-resource settings, especially in children who are clinically stable on ARV treatment.

Cognitive processes in children's reading and attention: the role of working memory, divided attention, and response inhibition.

PubMed

Savage, Robert; Cornish, Kim; Manly, Tom; Hollis, Chris

2006-08-01

Children experiencing attention difficulties have documented cognitive deficits in working memory (WM), response inhibition and dual tasks. Recent evidence suggests however that these same cognitive processes are also closely associated with reading acquisition. This paper therefore explores whether these variables predicted attention difficulties or reading among 123 children with and without significant attention problems sampled from the school population. Children were screened using current WM and attention task measures. Three factors explained variance in WM and attention tasks. Response inhibition tasks loaded mainly with central executive measures, but a dual processing task loaded with the visual-spatial WM measures. Phonological loop measures loaded independently of attention measures. After controls for age, IQ and attention-group membership, phonological loop and 'central processing' measures both predicted reading ability. A 'visual memory/dual-task' factor predicted attention group membership after controls for age, IQ and reading ability. Results thus suggest that some of the processes previously assumed to be predictive of attention problems may reflect processes involved in reading acquisition. Visual memory and dual-task functioning are, however, purer indices of cognitive difficulty in children experiencing attention problems.

Exergames for Physical Education Courses: Physical, Social, and Cognitive Benefits.

PubMed

Staiano, Amanda E; Calvert, Sandra L

2011-06-01

Digital games combining exercise with game play, known as exergames, can improve youths' health status and provide social and academic benefits. Exergame play increases caloric expenditure, heart rate, and coordination. Psychosocial and cognitive impacts of exergame play may include increased self-esteem, social interaction, motivation, attention, and visual-spatial skills. This article summarizes the literature on exergames, with a special emphasis on physical education courses and the potential of exergames to improve students' physical health, as well as transfer effects that may benefit related physical, social, and academic outcomes.

Are Deaf Students Visual Learners?

PubMed Central

Marschark, Marc; Morrison, Carolyn; Lukomski, Jennifer; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol

2013-01-01

It is frequently assumed that by virtue of their hearing losses, deaf students are visual learners. Deaf individuals have some visual-spatial advantages relative to hearing individuals, but most have been are linked to use of sign language rather than auditory deprivation. How such cognitive differences might affect academic performance has been investigated only rarely. This study examined relations among deaf college students’ language and visual-spatial abilities, mathematics problem solving, and hearing thresholds. Results extended some previous findings and clarified others. Contrary to what might be expected, hearing students exhibited visual-spatial skills equal to or better than deaf students. Scores on a Spatial Relations task were associated with better mathematics problem solving. Relations among the several variables, however, suggested that deaf students are no more likely to be visual learners than hearing students and that their visual-spatial skill may be related more to their hearing than to sign language skills. PMID:23750095

Contextual cueing effects despite spatially cued target locations.

PubMed

Schankin, Andrea; Schubö, Anna

2010-07-01

Reaction times (RT) to targets are faster in repeated displays relative to novel ones when the spatial arrangement of the distracting items predicts the target location (contextual cueing). It is assumed that visual-spatial attention is guided more efficiently to the target resulting in reduced RTs. In the present experiment, contextual cueing even occurred when the target location was previously peripherally cued. Electrophysiologically, repeated displays elicited an enhanced N2pc component in both conditions and resulted in an earlier onset of the stimulus-locked lateralized readiness potential (s-LRP) in the cued condition and in an enhanced P3 in the uncued condition relative to novel displays. These results indicate that attentional guidance is less important than previously assumed but that other cognitive processes, such as attentional selection (N2pc) and response-related processes (s-LRP, P3) are facilitated by context familiarity.

Visual-spatial thinking: An aspect of science overlooked by educators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mathewson, James H.

1999-01-01

Thinking with images plays a central role in scientific creativity and communication but is neglected in science classrooms. This article reviews the fundamental role of imagery in science and technology and our current knowledge of visual-spatial cognition. A novel analogic and thematic organization of images and visualization within science and technology is proposed that can help in the generation and evaluation of classroom activities and materials, and serve as a focus for professional development programs in visual-spatial thinking for science teachers. Visual-spatial thinking includes vision - using the eyes to identify, locate, and think about objects and ourselves in the world, and imagery - the formation, inspection, transformation, and maintenance of images in the mind's eye in the absence of a visual stimulus. A spatial image preserves relationships among a complex set of ideas as a single chunk in working memory, increasing the amount of information that can be maintained in consciousness at a given moment. Vision and imagery are fundamental cognitive processes using specialized pathways in the brain and rely on our memory of prior experience. Visual-spatial thinking develops from birth, together with language and other specialized abilities, through interactions between inherited capabilities and experience. Scientific creativity can be considered as an amalgam of three closely allied mental formats: images; metaphors; and unifying ideas (themes). Combinations of images, analogies, and themes pervade science in the form of master images and visualization techniques. A critique of current practice in education contrasts the subservient role of visual-spatial learning with the dominance of the alphanumeric encoding skills in classroom and textbooks. The lack of coherence in curriculum, pedagogy, and learning theory requires reform that addresses thinking skills, including imagery. Successful integration of information, skills and attitudes into cohesive mental schemata employed by self-aware human beings is a basic goal of education. The current attempt to impose integration using themes is criticized on the grounds that the required underpinning in cognitive skills and content knowledge by teachers and students may be absent. Teaching strategies that employ visual-spatial thinking are reviewed. Master images are recommended as a novel point of departure for a systematic development of programs on visual-spatial thinking in research, teacher education, curriculum, and classroom practice.

Differential effects of visual-spatial attention on response latency and temporal-order judgment.

PubMed

Neumann, O; Esselmann, U; Klotz, W

1993-01-01

Theorists from both classical structuralism and modern attention research have claimed that attention to a sensory stimulus enhances processing speed. However, they have used different operations to measure this effect, viz., temporal-order judgment (TOJ) and reaction-time (RT) measurement. We report two experiments that compared the effect of a spatial cue on RT and TOJ. Experiment 1 demonstrated that a nonmasked, peripheral cue (the brief brightening of a box) affected both RT and TOJ. However, the former effect was significantly larger than the latter. A masked cue had a smaller, but reliable, effect on TOJ. In Experiment 2, the effects of a masked cue on RT and TOJ were compared under identical stimulus conditions. While the cue had a strong effect on RT, it left TOJ unaffected. These results suggest that a spatial cue may have dissociable effects on response processes and the processes that lead to a conscious percept. Implications for the concept of direct parameter specification and for theories of visual attention are discussed.

Working memory capacity accounts for the ability to switch between object-based and location-based allocation of visual attention.

PubMed

Bleckley, M Kathryn; Foster, Jeffrey L; Engle, Randall W

2015-04-01

Bleckley, Durso, Crutchfield, Engle, and Khanna (Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 10, 884-889, 2003) found that visual attention allocation differed between groups high or low in working memory capacity (WMC). High-span, but not low-span, subjects showed an invalid-cue cost during a letter localization task in which the letter appeared closer to fixation than the cue, but not when the letter appeared farther from fixation than the cue. This suggests that low-spans allocated attention as a spotlight, whereas high-spans allocated their attention to objects. In this study, we tested whether utilizing object-based visual attention is a resource-limited process that is difficult for low-span individuals. In the first experiment, we tested the uses of object versus location-based attention with high and low-span subjects, with half of the subjects completing a demanding secondary load task. Under load, high-spans were no longer able to use object-based visual attention. A second experiment supported the hypothesis that these differences in allocation were due to high-spans using object-based allocation, whereas low-spans used location-based allocation.

Verbal and visual-spatial working memory and mathematical ability in different domains throughout primary school.

PubMed

Van de Weijer-Bergsma, Eva; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Van Luit, Johannes E H

2015-04-01

The relative importance of visual-spatial and verbal working memory for mathematics performance and learning seems to vary with age, the novelty of the material, and the specific math domain that is investigated. In this study, the relations between verbal and visual-spatial working memory and performance in four math domains (i.e., addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) at different ages during primary school are investigated. Children (N = 4337) from grades 2 through 6 participated. Visual-spatial and verbal working memory were assessed using online computerized tasks. Math performance was assessed at the start, middle, and end of the school year using a speeded arithmetic test. Multilevel Multigroup Latent Growth Modeling was used to model individual differences in level and growth in math performance, and examine the predictive value of working memory per grade, while controlling for effects of classroom membership. The results showed that as grade level progressed, the predictive value of visual-spatial working memory for individual differences in level of mathematics performance waned, while the predictive value of verbal working memory increased. Working memory did not predict individual differences between children in their rate of performance growth throughout the school year. These findings are discussed in relation to three, not mutually exclusive, explanations for such age-related findings.

Patterned-string tasks: relation between fine motor skills and visual-spatial abilities in parrots.

PubMed

Krasheninnikova, Anastasia

2013-01-01

String-pulling and patterned-string tasks are often used to analyse perceptual and cognitive abilities in animals. In addition, the paradigm can be used to test the interrelation between visual-spatial and motor performance. Two Australian parrot species, the galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) and the cockatiel (Nymphicus hollandicus), forage on the ground, but only the galah uses its feet to manipulate food. I used a set of string pulling and patterned-string tasks to test whether usage of the feet during foraging is a prerequisite for solving the vertical string pulling problem. Indeed, the two species used techniques that clearly differed in the extent of beak-foot coordination but did not differ in terms of their success in solving the string pulling task. However, when the visual-spatial skills of the subjects were tested, the galahs outperformed the cockatiels. This supports the hypothesis that the fine motor skills needed for advanced beak-foot coordination may be interrelated with certain visual-spatial abilities needed for solving patterned-string tasks. This pattern was also found within each of the two species on the individual level: higher motor abilities positively correlated with performance in patterned-string tasks. This is the first evidence of an interrelation between visual-spatial and motor abilities in non-mammalian animals.

Memory functioning in children with reading disabilities and/or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a clinical investigation of their working memory and long-term memory functioning.

PubMed

Kibby, Michelle Y; Cohen, Morris J

2008-11-01

We examined memory functioning in children with reading disabilities (RD), Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and RD/ADHD using a clinic sample with a clinical instrument: the Children's Memory Scale, enhancing its generalizability. Participants included 23 children with RD, 30 with ADHD, 30 with RD/ADHD, and 30 controls. Children with RD presented with reduced verbal short-term memory (STM) but intact visual STM, central executive (CE), and long-term memory (LTM) functioning. Their deficit in STM appeared specific to tasks requiring phonetic coding of material. Children with ADHD displayed intact CE and LTM functioning but reduced visual-spatial STM, especially when off stimulant medication. Children with RD/ADHD had deficits consistent with both disorders.

Prospect theory reflects selective allocation of attention.

PubMed

Pachur, Thorsten; Schulte-Mecklenbeck, Michael; Murphy, Ryan O; Hertwig, Ralph

2018-02-01

There is a disconnect in the literature between analyses of risky choice based on cumulative prospect theory (CPT) and work on predecisional information processing. One likely reason is that for expectation models (e.g., CPT), it is often assumed that people behaved only as if they conducted the computations leading to the predicted choice and that the models are thus mute regarding information processing. We suggest that key psychological constructs in CPT, such as loss aversion and outcome and probability sensitivity, can be interpreted in terms of attention allocation. In two experiments, we tested hypotheses about specific links between CPT parameters and attentional regularities. Experiment 1 used process tracing to monitor participants' predecisional attention allocation to outcome and probability information. As hypothesized, individual differences in CPT's loss-aversion, outcome-sensitivity, and probability-sensitivity parameters (estimated from participants' choices) were systematically associated with individual differences in attention allocation to outcome and probability information. For instance, loss aversion was associated with the relative attention allocated to loss and gain outcomes, and a more strongly curved weighting function was associated with less attention allocated to probabilities. Experiment 2 manipulated participants' attention to losses or gains, causing systematic differences in CPT's loss-aversion parameter. This result indicates that attention allocation can to some extent cause choice regularities that are captured by CPT. Our findings demonstrate an as-if model's capacity to reflect characteristics of information processing. We suggest that the observed CPT-attention links can be harnessed to inform the development of process models of risky choice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Attending Globally or Locally: Incidental Learning of Optimal Visual Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beck, Melissa R.; Goldstein, Rebecca R.; van Lamsweerde, Amanda E.; Ericson, Justin M.

2018-01-01

Attention allocation determines the information that is encoded into memory. Can participants learn to optimally allocate attention based on what types of information are most likely to change? The current study examined whether participants could incidentally learn that changes to either high spatial frequency (HSF) or low spatial frequency (LSF)…

Understanding Language, Hearing Status, and Visual-Spatial Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marschark, Marc; Spencer, Linda J.; Durkin, Andreana; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol; Machmer, Elizabeth; Kronenberger, William G.; Trani, Alexandra

2015-01-01

It is frequently assumed that deaf individuals have superior visual-spatial abilities relative to hearing peers and thus, in educational settings, they are often considered visual learners. There is some empirical evidence to support the former assumption, although it is inconsistent, and apparently none to support the latter. Three experiments…

The Differential Effects of Reward on Space- and Object-Based Attentional Allocation

PubMed Central

Shomstein, Sarah

2013-01-01

Estimating reward contingencies and allocating attentional resources to a subset of relevant information are the most important contributors to increasing adaptability of an organism. Although recent evidence suggests that reward- and attention-based guidance recruits overlapping cortical regions and has similar effects on sensory responses, the exact nature of the relationship between the two remains elusive. Here, using event-related fMRI on human participants, we contrasted the effects of reward on space- and object-based selection in the same experimental setting. Reward was either distributed randomly or biased a particular object. Behavioral and neuroimaging results show that space- and object-based attention is influenced by reward differentially. Space-based attentional allocation is mandatory, integrating reward information over time, whereas object-based attentional allocation is a default setting that is completely replaced by the reward signal. Nonadditivity of the effects of reward and object-based attention was observed consistently at multiple levels of analysis in early visual areas as well as in control regions. These results provide strong evidence that space- and object-based allocation are two independent attentional mechanisms, and suggest that reward serves to constrain attentional selection. PMID:23804086

Allocation of attention during pursuit of large objects is no different than during fixation.

PubMed

Watamaniuk, Scott N J; Heinen, Stephen J

2015-01-01

Attention allocation during pursuit of a spot is usually characterized as asymmetric with more attention placed ahead of the target than behind it. However, attention is symmetrically allocated across larger pursuit stimuli. An unresolved issue is how tightly attention is constrained on large stimuli during pursuit. Although some work shows it is tightly locked to the fovea, other work shows it is allocated flexibly. To investigate this, we had observers perform a character identification task on large pursuit stimuli composed of arrays of five, nine, or 15 characters spaced between 0.6° and 4.0° apart. Initially, the characters were identical, but at a random time, they all changed briefly, rendering one of them unique. Observers identified the unique character. Consistent with previous literature, attention appeared narrow and symmetric around the pursuit target for tightly spaced (0.6°) characters. Increasing spacing dramatically expanded the attention scope, presumably by mitigating crowding. However, when we controlled for crowding, performance was limited by set size, suffering more for eccentric targets. Interestingly, the same limitations on attention allocation were observed with stationary and pursued stimuli-evidence that attention operates similarly during fixation and pursuit of a stimulus that extends into the periphery. The results suggest that attention is flexibly allocated during pursuit, but performance is limited by crowding and set size. In addition, performing the identification task did not hurt pursuit performance, further evidence that pursuit of large stimuli is relatively inattentive.

Is Reading Impairment Associated with Enhanced Holistic Processing in Comparative Visual Search?

PubMed

Wang, Jiahui; Schneps, Matthew H; Antonenko, Pavlo D; Chen, Chen; Pomplun, Marc

2016-11-01

This study explores a proposition that individuals with dyslexia develop enhanced peripheral vision to process visual-spatial information holistically. Participants included 18 individuals diagnosed with dyslexia and 18 who were not. The experiment used a comparative visual search design consisting of two blocks of 72 trials. Each trial presented two halves of the display each comprising three kinds of shapes in three colours to be compared side-by-side. Participants performed a conjunctive search to ascertain whether the two halves were identical. In the first block, participants were provided no instruction regarding the visual-spatial processing strategy they were to employ. In the second block, participants were instructed to use a holistic processing strategy-to defocus their attention and perform the comparison by examining the whole screen at once. The results did not support the hypothesis associating dyslexia with talents for holistic visual processing. Using holistic processing strategy, both groups scored lower in accuracy and reacted faster, compared to the first block. Impaired readers consistently reacted more slowly and did not exhibit enhanced accuracy. Given the extant evidence of strengths for holistic visual processing in impaired readers, these findings are important because they suggest such strengths may be task dependent. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Attention and material-specific memory in children with lateralized epilepsy.

PubMed

Engle, Jennifer A; Smith, Mary Lou

2010-01-01

Epilepsy is frequently associated with attention and memory problems. In adults, lateralization of seizure focus impacts the type of memory affected (left-sided lesions primarily impact verbal memory, while right-sided lesions primarily impact visual memory), but the relationship between seizure focus and the nature of the memory impairment is less clear in children. The current study examines the correlation between parent-reported attention problems and material-specific memory (verbal or visual-spatial) in 65 children (ages 6-16) with medically intractable lateralized epilepsy. There were no significant differences in attention and memory between those with left-lateralized epilepsy (n=25) and those with right-lateralized epilepsy (n=40). However, in the left-lateralized group attention problems were significantly negatively correlated only with delayed visual memory (r=-.450, p<.05), while the right-lateralized group demonstrated the opposite pattern (attention problems significantly negatively correlated with delayed verbal memory; r=-.331, p<.05). These findings suggest that lateralization of seizure focus may in fact impact children's memory in a material-specific manner, while problems with attention may impact memory more globally. Therefore, interventions designed to improve attention in children with epilepsy may have utility in improving certain aspects of memory, but further suggest that in children with lateralized epilepsy, material-specific memory deficits may not resolve with such interventions.

Age, gesture span, and dissociations among component subsystems of working memory.

PubMed

Dolman, R; Roy, E A; Dimeck, P T; Hall, C R

2000-01-01

Working memory was examined in old and young adults using a series of span tasks, including the forward versions of the visual-spatial and digit span tasks from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, and comparable hand gesture and visual design span tasks. The observation that the young participants performed significantly better on all the tasks except digit span suggested that aging has an impact on some component subsystems of working memory but not others. Analyses of intercorrelations in span performance supports the dissociation among three component subsystems, one for auditory verbal information (the articulatory loop), one for visual-spatial information (visual-spatial scratch-pad), and one for hand/body postural configuration.

The role of intrinsic motivations in attention allocation and shifting

PubMed Central

Di Nocera, Dario; Finzi, Alberto; Rossi, Silvia; Staffa, Mariacarla

2014-01-01

The concepts of attention and intrinsic motivations are of great interest within adaptive robotic systems, and can be exploited in order to guide, activate, and coordinate multiple concurrent behaviors. Attention allocation strategies represent key capabilities of human beings, which are strictly connected with action selection and execution mechanisms, while intrinsic motivations directly affect the allocation of attentional resources. In this paper we propose a model of Reinforcement Learning (RL), where both these capabilities are involved. RL is deployed to learn how to allocate attentional resources in a behavior-based robotic system, while action selection is obtained as a side effect of the resulting motivated attentional behaviors. Moreover, the influence of intrinsic motivations in attention orientation is obtained by introducing rewards associated with curiosity drives. In this way, the learning process is affected not only by goal-specific rewards, but also by intrinsic motivations. PMID:24744746

Adaptive Allocation of Attention: Effects of Sex and Sociosexuality on Visual Attention to Attractive Opposite-Sex Faces.

PubMed

Duncan, Lesley A; Park, Justin H; Faulkner, Jason; Schaller, Mark; Neuberg, Steven L; Kenrick, Douglas T

2007-09-01

We tested the hypothesis that, compared with sociosexually restricted individuals, those with an unrestricted approach to mating would selectively allocate visual attention to attractive opposite-sex others. We also tested for sex differences in this effect. Seventy-four participants completed the Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, and performed a computer-based task that assessed the speed with which they detected changes in attractive and unattractive male and female faces. Differences in reaction times served as indicators of selective attention. Results revealed a Sex X Sociosexuality interaction: Compared with sociosexually restricted men, unrestricted men selectively allocated attention to attractive opposite-sex others; no such effect emerged among women. This finding was specific to opposite-sex targets and did not occur in attention to same-sex others. These results contribute to a growing literature on the adaptive allocation of attention in social environments.

Understanding the allocation of attention when faced with varying perceptual load in partial report: a computational approach.

PubMed

Kyllingsbæk, Søren; Sy, Jocelyn L; Giesbrecht, Barry

2011-05-01

The allocation of visual processing capacity is a key topic in studies and theories of visual attention. The load theory of Lavie (1995) proposes that allocation happens in two steps where processing resources are first allocated to task-relevant stimuli and secondly remaining capacity 'spills over' to task-irrelevant distractors. In contrast, the Theory of Visual Attention (TVA) proposed by Bundesen (1990) assumes that allocation happens in a single step where processing capacity is allocated to all stimuli, both task-relevant and task-irrelevant, in proportion to their relative attentional weight. Here we present data from two partial report experiments where we varied the number and discriminability of the task-irrelevant stimuli (Experiment 1) and perceptual load (Experiment 2). The TVA fitted the data of the two experiments well thus favoring the simple explanation with a single step of capacity allocation. We also show that the effects of varying perceptual load can only be explained by a combined effect of allocation of processing capacity as well as limits in visual working memory. Finally, we link the results to processing capacity understood at the neural level based on the neural theory of visual attention by Bundesen et al. (2005). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual-Spatial Art and Design Literacy as a Prelude to Aesthetic Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lerner, Fern

2018-01-01

In bridging ideas from the forum of visual-spatial learning with those of art and design learning, inspiration is taken from Piaget who explained that the evolution of spatial cognition occurs through perception, as well as through thought and imagination. Insights are embraced from interdisciplinary educational theorists, intertwining and…

The cognitive science of visual-spatial displays: implications for design.

PubMed

Hegarty, Mary

2011-07-01

This paper reviews cognitive science perspectives on the design of visual-spatial displays and introduces the other papers in this topic. It begins by classifying different types of visual-spatial displays, followed by a discussion of ways in which visual-spatial displays augment cognition and an overview of the perceptual and cognitive processes involved in using displays. The paper then argues for the importance of cognitive science methods to the design of visual displays and reviews some of the main principles of display design that have emerged from these approaches to date. Cognitive scientists have had good success in characterizing the performance of well-defined tasks with relatively simple visual displays, but many challenges remain in understanding the use of complex displays for ill-defined tasks. Current research exemplified by the papers in this topic extends empirical approaches to new displays and domains, informs the development of general principles of graphic design, and addresses current challenges in display design raised by the recent explosion in availability of complex data sets and new technologies for visualizing and interacting with these data. Copyright © 2011 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

The role of visual spatial attention in adult developmental dyslexia.

PubMed

Collis, Nathan L; Kohnen, Saskia; Kinoshita, Sachiko

2013-01-01

The present study investigated the nature of visual spatial attention deficits in adults with developmental dyslexia, using a partial report task with five-letter, digit, and symbol strings. Participants responded by a manual key press to one of nine alternatives, which included other characters in the string, allowing an assessment of position errors as well as intrusion errors. The results showed that the dyslexic adults performed significantly worse than age-matched controls with letter and digit strings but not with symbol strings. Both groups produced W-shaped serial position functions with letter and digit strings. The dyslexics' deficits with letter string stimuli were limited to position errors, specifically at the string-interior positions 2 and 4. These errors correlated with letter transposition reading errors (e.g., reading slat as "salt"), but not with the Rapid Automatized Naming (RAN) task. Overall, these results suggest that the dyslexic adults have a visual spatial attention deficit; however, the deficit does not reflect a reduced span in visual-spatial attention, but a deficit in processing a string of letters in parallel, probably due to difficulty in the coding of letter position.

False memory for context and true memory for context similarly activate the parahippocampal cortex.

PubMed

Karanian, Jessica M; Slotnick, Scott D

2017-06-01

The role of the parahippocampal cortex is currently a topic of debate. One view posits that the parahippocampal cortex specifically processes spatial layouts and sensory details (i.e., the visual-spatial processing view). In contrast, the other view posits that the parahippocampal cortex more generally processes spatial and non-spatial contexts (i.e., the general contextual processing view). A large number of studies have found that true memories activate the parahippocampal cortex to a greater degree than false memories, which would appear to support the visual-spatial processing view as true memories are typically associated with greater visual-spatial detail than false memories. However, in previous studies, contextual details were also greater for true memories than false memories. Thus, such differential activity in the parahippocampal cortex may have reflected differences in contextual processing, which would challenge the visual-spatial processing view. In the present functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, we employed a source memory paradigm to investigate the functional role of the parahippocampal cortex during true memory and false memory for contextual information to distinguish between the visual-spatial processing view and the general contextual processing view. During encoding, abstract shapes were presented to the left or right of fixation. During retrieval, old shapes were presented at fixation and participants indicated whether each shape was previously on the "left" or "right" followed by an "unsure", "sure", or "very sure" confidence rating. The conjunction of confident true memories for context and confident false memories for context produced activity in the parahippocampal cortex, which indicates that this region is associated with contextual processing. Furthermore, the direct contrast of true memory and false memory produced activity in the visual cortex but did not produce activity in the parahippocampal cortex. The present evidence suggests that the parahippocampal cortex is associated with general contextual processing rather than only being associated with visual-spatial processing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Introducing a Method for Calculating the Allocation of Attention in a Cognitive “Two-Armed Bandit” Procedure: Probability Matching Gives Way to Maximizing

PubMed Central

Heyman, Gene M.; Grisanzio, Katherine A.; Liang, Victor

2016-01-01

We tested whether principles that describe the allocation of overt behavior, as in choice experiments, also describe the allocation of cognition, as in attention experiments. Our procedure is a cognitive version of the “two-armed bandit choice procedure.” The two-armed bandit procedure has been of interest to psychologistsand economists because it tends to support patterns of responding that are suboptimal. Each of two alternatives provides rewards according to fixed probabilities. The optimal solution is to choose the alternative with the higher probability of reward on each trial. However, subjects often allocate responses so that the probability of a response approximates its probability of reward. Although it is this result which has attracted most interest, probability matching is not always observed. As a function of monetary incentives, practice, and individual differences, subjects tend to deviate from probability matching toward exclusive preference, as predicted by maximizing. In our version of the two-armed bandit procedure, the monitor briefly displayed two, small adjacent stimuli that predicted correct responses according to fixed probabilities, as in a two-armed bandit procedure. We show that in this setting, a simple linear equation describes the relationship between attention and correct responses, and that the equation’s solution is the allocation of attention between the two stimuli. The calculations showed that attention allocation varied as a function of the degree to which the stimuli predicted correct responses. Linear regression revealed a strong correlation (r = 0.99) between the predictiveness of a stimulus and the probability of attending to it. Nevertheless there were deviations from probability matching, and although small, they were systematic and statistically significant. As in choice studies, attention allocation deviated toward maximizing as a function of practice, feedback, and incentives. Our approach also predicts the frequency of correct guesses and the relationship between attention allocation and response latencies. The results were consistent with these two predictions, the assumptions of the equations used to calculate attention allocation, and recent studies which show that predictiveness and reward are important determinants of attention. PMID:27014109

Spatial Sequences, but Not Verbal Sequences, Are Vulnerable to General Interference during Retention in Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morey, Candice C.; Miron, Monica D.

2016-01-01

Among models of working memory, there is not yet a consensus about how to describe functions specific to storing verbal or visual-spatial memories. We presented aural-verbal and visual-spatial lists simultaneously and sometimes cued one type of information after presentation, comparing accuracy in conditions with and without informative…

Changes in Visual/Spatial and Analytic Strategy Use in Organic Chemistry with the Development of Expertise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vlacholia, Maria; Vosniadou, Stella; Roussos, Petros; Salta, Katerina; Kazi, Smaragda; Sigalas, Michael; Tzougraki, Chryssa

2017-01-01

We present two studies that investigated the adoption of visual/spatial and analytic strategies by individuals at different levels of expertise in the area of organic chemistry, using the Visual Analytic Chemistry Task (VACT). The VACT allows the direct detection of analytic strategy use without drawing inferences about underlying mental…

Automation trust and attention allocation in multitasking workspace.

PubMed

Karpinsky, Nicole D; Chancey, Eric T; Palmer, Dakota B; Yamani, Yusuke

2018-07-01

Previous research suggests that operators with high workload can distrust and then poorly monitor automation, which has been generally inferred from automation dependence behaviors. To test automation monitoring more directly, the current study measured operators' visual attention allocation, workload, and trust toward imperfect automation in a dynamic multitasking environment. Participants concurrently performed a manual tracking task with two levels of difficulty and a system monitoring task assisted by an unreliable signaling system. Eye movement data indicate that operators allocate less visual attention to monitor automation when the tracking task is more difficult. Participants reported reduced levels of trust toward the signaling system when the tracking task demanded more focused visual attention. Analyses revealed that trust mediated the relationship between the load of the tracking task and attention allocation in Experiment 1, an effect that was not replicated in Experiment 2. Results imply a complex process underlying task load, visual attention allocation, and automation trust during multitasking. Automation designers should consider operators' task load in multitasking workspaces to avoid reduced automation monitoring and distrust toward imperfect signaling systems. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Occipitoparietal alpha-band responses to the graded allocation of top-down spatial attention.

PubMed

Dombrowe, Isabel; Hilgetag, Claus C

2014-09-15

The voluntary, top-down allocation of visual spatial attention has been linked to changes in the alpha-band of the electroencephalogram (EEG) signal measured over occipital and parietal lobes. In the present study, we investigated how occipitoparietal alpha-band activity changes when people allocate their attentional resources in a graded fashion across the visual field. We asked participants to either completely shift their attention into one hemifield, to balance their attention equally across the entire visual field, or to attribute more attention to one-half of the visual field than to the other. As expected, we found that alpha-band amplitudes decreased stronger contralaterally than ipsilaterally to the attended side when attention was shifted completely. Alpha-band amplitudes decreased bilaterally when attention was balanced equally across the visual field. However, when participants allocated more attentional resources to one-half of the visual field, this was not reflected in the alpha-band amplitudes, which just decreased bilaterally. We found that the performance of the participants was more strongly reflected in the coherence between frontal and occipitoparietal brain regions. We conclude that low alpha-band amplitudes seem to be necessary for stimulus detection. Furthermore, complete shifts of attention are directly reflected in the lateralization of alpha-band amplitudes. In the present study, a gradual allocation of visual attention across the visual field was only indirectly reflected in the alpha-band activity over occipital and parietal cortexes. Copyright © 2014 the American Physiological Society.

Face perception in women with Turner syndrome and its underlying factors.

PubMed

Anaki, David; Zadikov Mor, Tal; Gepstein, Vardit; Hochberg, Ze'ev

2016-09-01

Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal condition that affects development in females. It is characterized by short stature, ovarian failure and other congenital malformations, due to a partial or complete absence of the sex chromosome. Women with TS frequently suffer from various physical and hormonal dysfunctions, along with impairments in visual-spatial processing and social cognition difficulties. Previous research has also shown difficulties in face and emotion perception. In the current study we examined two questions: First, whether women with TS, that are impaired in face perception, also suffer from deficits in face-specific processes. The second question was whether these face impairments in TS are related to visual-spatial perceptual dysfunctions exhibited by TS individuals, or to impaired social cognition skills. Twenty-six women with TS and 26 control participants were tested on various cognitive and psychological tests to assess visual-spatial perception, face and facial expression perception, and social cognition skills. Results show that women with TS were less accurate in face perception and facial expression processing, yet they exhibited normal face-specific processes (configural and holistic processing). They also showed difficulties in spatial perception and social cognition capacities. Additional analyses revealed that their face perception impairments were related to their deficits in visual-spatial processing. Thus, our results do not support the claim that the impairments in face processing observed in TS are related to difficulties in social cognition. Rather, our data point to the possibility that face perception difficulties in TS stem from visual-spatial impairments and may not be specific to faces. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visual-spatial ability is more important than motivation for novices in surgical simulator training: a preliminary study.

PubMed

Schlickum, Marcus; Hedman, Leif; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2016-02-21

To investigate whether surgical simulation performance and previous video gaming experience would correlate with higher motivation to further train a specific simulator task and whether visual-spatial ability would rank higher in importance to surgical performance than the above. It was also examined whether or not motivation would correlate with a preference to choose a surgical specialty in the future and if simulator training would increase the interest in choosing that same work field. Motivation and general interest in surgery was measured pre- and post-training in 30 medical students at Karolinska Institutet who were tested in a laparoscopic surgical simulator in parallel with measurement of visual-spatial ability and self-estimated video gaming experience. Correlations between simulator performance metrics, visual-spatial ability and motivation were statistically analyzed using regression analysis. A good result in the first simulator trial correlated with higher self-determination index (r =-0.46, p=0.05) in male students. Visual-spatial ability was the most important underlying factor followed by intrinsic motivation score and finally video gaming experience (p=0.02, p=0.05, p=0.11) regarding simulator performance in male students. Simulator training increased interest in surgery when studying all subjects (p=0.01), male subjects (p=0.02) as well as subjects with low video gaming experience (p=0.02). This preliminary study highlights individual differences regarding the effect of simulator training on motivation that can be taken into account when designing simulator training curricula, although the sample size is quite small and findings should be interpreted carefully.

Assessing Visual-Spatial Creativity in Youth on the Autism Spectrum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diener, Marissa L.; Wright, Cheryl A.; Smith, Katherine N.; Wright, Scott D.

2014-01-01

The goal of this study was to develop a measure of creativity that builds on the strengths of youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The assessment of creativity focused on the visual-spatial abilities of these youth using 3D modeling software. One of the objectives of the research was to develop a measure of creativity in an authentic…

Investigation of the Relationship between the Spatial Visualization Success and Visual/Spatial Intelligence Capabilities of Sixth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yenilmez, Kursat; Kakmaci, Ozlem

2015-01-01

The main aim of this research was to examine the relationship between the spatial visualization success and visual/spatial intelligence capabilities of sixth grade students. The sample of the research consists of 1011 sixth grade students who were randomly selected from the primary schools in Eskisehir. In this correlational study, data were…

Spatial perception predicts laparoscopic skills on virtual reality laparoscopy simulator.

PubMed

Hassan, I; Gerdes, B; Koller, M; Dick, B; Hellwig, D; Rothmund, M; Zielke, A

2007-06-01

This study evaluates the influence of visual-spatial perception on laparoscopic performance of novices with a virtual reality simulator (LapSim(R)). Twenty-four novices completed standardized tests of visual-spatial perception (Lameris Toegepaste Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek [TNO] Test(R) and Stumpf-Fay Cube Perspectives Test(R)) and laparoscopic skills were assessed objectively, while performing 1-h practice sessions on the LapSim(R), comprising of coordination, cutting, and clip application tasks. Outcome variables included time to complete the tasks, economy of motion as well as total error scores, respectively. The degree of visual-spatial perception correlated significantly with laparoscopic performance on the LapSim(R) scores. Participants with a high degree of spatial perception (Group A) performed the tasks faster than those (Group B) who had a low degree of spatial perception (p = 0.001). Individuals with a high degree of spatial perception also scored better for economy of motion (p = 0.021), tissue damage (p = 0.009), and total error (p = 0.007). Among novices, visual-spatial perception is associated with manual skills performed on a virtual reality simulator. This result may be important for educators to develop adequate training programs that can be individually adapted.

Real-life memory and spatial navigation in patients with focal epilepsy: ecological validity of a virtual reality supermarket task.

PubMed

Grewe, P; Lahr, D; Kohsik, A; Dyck, E; Markowitsch, H J; Bien, C G; Botsch, M; Piefke, M

2014-02-01

Ecological assessment and training of real-life cognitive functions such as visual-spatial abilities in patients with epilepsy remain challenging. Some studies have applied virtual reality (VR) paradigms, but external validity of VR programs has not sufficiently been proven. Patients with focal epilepsy (EG, n=14) accomplished an 8-day program in a VR supermarket, which consisted of learning and buying items on a shopping list. Performance of the EG was compared with that of healthy controls (HCG, n=19). A comprehensive neuropsychological examination was administered. Real-life performance was investigated in a real supermarket. Learning in the VR supermarket was significantly impaired in the EG on different VR measures. Delayed free recall of products did not differ between the EG and the HCG. Virtual reality scores were correlated with neuropsychological measures of visual-spatial cognition, subjective estimates of memory, and performance in the real supermarket. The data indicate that our VR approach allows for the assessment of real-life visual-spatial memory and cognition in patients with focal epilepsy. The multimodal, active, and complex VR paradigm may particularly enhance visual-spatial cognitive resources. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shared and Disorder-Specific Prefrontal Abnormalities in Boys with Pure Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Compared to Boys with Pure CD during Interference Inhibition and Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubia, Katya; Halari, Rozmin; Smith, Anna B.; Mohammad, Majeed; Scott, Stephen; Brammer, Michael J.

2009-01-01

Background: Inhibitory and attention deficits have been suggested to be shared problems of disruptive behaviour disorders. Patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and patients with conduct disorder (CD) show deficits in tasks of attention allocation and interference inhibition. However, functional magnetic resonance imaging…

Attentional capture in visual search: Capture and post-capture dynamics revealed by EEG.

PubMed

Liesefeld, Heinrich René; Liesefeld, Anna Marie; Töllner, Thomas; Müller, Hermann J

2017-08-01

Sometimes, salient-but-irrelevant objects (distractors) presented concurrently with a search target cannot be ignored and attention is involuntarily allocated towards the distractor first. Several studies have provided electrophysiological evidence for involuntary misallocations of attention towards a distractor, but much less is known about the mechanisms that are needed to overcome a misallocation and re-allocate attention towards the concurrently presented target. In our study, electrophysiological markers of attentional mechanisms indicate that (i) the distractor captures attention before the target is attended, (ii) a misallocation of attention is terminated actively (instead of attention fading passively), and (iii) the misallocation of attention towards a distractor delays the attention allocation towards the target (rather than just delaying some post-attentive process involved in response selection). This provides the most complete demonstration, to date, of the chain of attentional mechanisms that are evoked when attention is misguided and recovers from capture within a search display. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The neural correlates of volitional attention: A combined fMRI and ERP study.

PubMed

Bengson, Jesse J; Kelley, Todd A; Mangun, George R

2015-07-01

Studies of visual-spatial attention typically use instructional cues to direct attention to a relevant location, but in everyday vision, attention is often focused volitionally, in the absence of external signals. Although investigations of cued attention comprise hundreds of behavioral and physiological studies, remarkably few studies of voluntary attention have addressed the challenging question of how spatial attention is initiated and controlled in the absence of external instructions, which we refer to as willed attention. To explore this question, we employed a trial-by-trial spatial attention task using electroencephalography and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The fMRI results reveal a unique network of brain regions for willed attention that includes the anterior cingulate cortex, left middle frontal gyrus (MFG), and the left and right anterior insula (AI). We also observed two event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with willed attention; one with a frontal distribution occurring 250-350 ms postdecision cue onset (EWAC: Early Willed Attention Component), and another occurring between 400 and 800 ms postdecision-cue onset (WAC: Willed Attention Component). In addition, each ERP component uniquely correlated across subjects with different willed attention-specific sites of BOLD activation. The EWAC was correlated with the willed attention-specific left AI and left MFG activations and the later WAC was correlated only with left AI. These results offer a comprehensive and novel view of the electrophysiological and anatomical profile of willed attention and further illustrate the relationship between scalp-recorded ERPs and the BOLD response. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Acoustic detail guides attention allocation in a selective listening task.

PubMed

Wöstmann, Malte; Schröger, Erich; Obleser, Jonas

2015-05-01

The flexible allocation of attention enables us to perceive and behave successfully despite irrelevant distractors. How do acoustic challenges influence this allocation of attention, and to what extent is this ability preserved in normally aging listeners? Younger and healthy older participants performed a masked auditory number comparison while EEG was recorded. To vary selective attention demands, we manipulated perceptual separability of spoken digits from a masking talker by varying acoustic detail (temporal fine structure). Listening conditions were adjusted individually to equalize stimulus audibility as well as the overall level of performance across participants. Accuracy increased, and response times decreased with more acoustic detail. The decrease in response times with more acoustic detail was stronger in the group of older participants. The onset of the distracting speech masker triggered a prominent contingent negative variation (CNV) in the EEG. Notably, CNV magnitude decreased parametrically with increasing acoustic detail in both age groups. Within identical levels of acoustic detail, larger CNV magnitude was associated with improved accuracy. Across age groups, neuropsychological markers further linked early CNV magnitude directly to individual attentional capacity. Results demonstrate for the first time that, in a demanding listening task, instantaneous acoustic conditions guide the allocation of attention. Second, such basic neural mechanisms of preparatory attention allocation seem preserved in healthy aging, despite impending sensory decline.

The event-related brain potential as an index of attention allocation in complex displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wickens, C. D.; Heffley, E. F.; Kramer, A. F.; Donchin, E.

1980-01-01

The advantages of employing the event-related brain potential (ERP) in the assessment of allocation of attention in dynamic environments are discussed. Three experiments are presented in which the P300 component of the ERP is demonstrated to be a useful index of subjects' locus of attention. The first two experiments were concerned with the allocation of attention during discrete and continuous visual monitoring tasks. The results indicated that a P300 was elicited only by stimuli to which the subject had to attend in order to perform successfully the task. The third experiment was conducted to assess the sensitivity of P300 to the manner in which attention is allocated to different aspects of a display during the performance of a 3-dimensional target acquisition task. The amplitude of the P300 was found to reflect differences between two levels of workload, as well as the task relevance of the stimuli. The results of the experiments are discussed in terms of their utility in the evaluation of the design of man-machine systems as well as in the study of the allocation of attention in operational environments.

I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You: Attentional Allocation to Infant, Child, Adolescent and Adult Faces in Mothers and Non-Mothers

PubMed Central

Thompson-Booth, Chloe; Viding, Essi; Mayes, Linda C.; Rutherford, Helena J. V.; Hodsoll, Sara; McCrory, Eamon

2014-01-01

It has been reported previously that infant faces elicit enhanced attentional allocation compared to adult faces in adult women, particularly when these faces are emotional and when the participants are mothers, as compared to non-mothers [1]. However, it remains unclear whether this increased salience of infant faces as compared to adult faces extends to children older than infant age, or whether infant faces have a unique capacity to elicit preferential attentional allocation compared to juvenile or adult faces. Therefore, this study investigated attentional allocation to a variety of different aged faces (infants, pre-adolescent children, adolescents, and adults) in 84 adult women, 39 of whom were mothers. Consistent with previous findings, infant faces were found to elicit greater attentional engagement compared to pre-adolescent, adolescent, or adult faces, particularly when the infants displayed distress; again, this effect was more pronounced in mothers compared to non-mothers. Pre-adolescent child faces were also found to elicit greater attentional engagement compared to adolescent and adult faces, but only when they displayed distress. No preferential attentional allocation was observed for adolescent compared to adult faces. These findings indicate that cues potentially signalling vulnerability, specifically age and sad affect, interact to engage attention. They point to a potentially important mechanism, which helps facilitate caregiving behaviour. PMID:25353640

Updating the Premotor Theory: The Allocation of Attention Is Not Always Accompanied by Saccade Preparation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belopolsky, Artem V.; Theeuwes, Jan

2012-01-01

There is an ongoing controversy regarding the relationship between covert attention and saccadic eye movements. While there is quite some evidence that the preparation of a saccade is obligatory preceded by a shift of covert attention, the reverse is not clear: Is allocation of attention always accompanied by saccade preparation? Recently, a…

Background distraction during vertical solid and character line bisections.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Julio A; Lamb, Damon G; Salazar, Liliana; Correa, Lauren N; Mosquera, Diana M; Schwartz, Zared J; Cohen, Ronald A; Falchook, Adam D; Heilman, Kenneth M

2018-04-04

Background-objectives: When vertical lines are positioned above or below the center of the page, line bisection deviates toward the center of the page, suggesting that the edges of the page distract the allocation of attention to the line. A letter-character line (LCL) bisection requires both global and focal attention, to identify the target letter closest to the line's center. If more focal and less global attention is allocated to a LCL, more global attentional resources may be available and inadvertently allocated to the page. Alternatively, if the allocation of focal attention to a LCL inhibits global attentional processing, there may be less distraction by the page. Twenty-four healthy adults (12 older) bisected vertical solid and character lines centered, or positioned closer to the top or bottom of the page. There was no difference between bisection of solid and character lines centered on the page. Page-related deviations were greater with character lines than solid line bisections, and greater for lines positioned toward the top than the bottom of the page. With lines positioned toward the top, the older participants' attempted bisections were higher than those of the younger participants. These results suggest that the allocation of focal attention increases global attentional distractibility and that global-background attentional distraction is greater when the vertical lines are placed in the upper part of the page. Older participants appeared to be less distracted when lines were placed toward the top of the page, but the reason for this age difference requires further research.

Using reinforcement learning to examine dynamic attention allocation during reading.

PubMed

Liu, Yanping; Reichle, Erik D; Gao, Ding-Guo

2013-01-01

A fundamental question in reading research concerns whether attention is allocated strictly serially, supporting lexical processing of one word at a time, or in parallel, supporting concurrent lexical processing of two or more words (Reichle, Liversedge, Pollatsek, & Rayner, 2009). The origins of this debate are reviewed. We then report three simulations to address this question using artificial reading agents (Liu & Reichle, 2010; Reichle & Laurent, 2006) that learn to dynamically allocate attention to 1-4 words to "read" as efficiently as possible. These simulation results indicate that the agents strongly preferred serial word processing, although they occasionally attended to more than one word concurrently. The reason for this preference is discussed, along with implications for the debate about how humans allocate attention during reading. Copyright © 2013 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Visual-spatial ability is more important than motivation for novices in surgical simulator training: a preliminary study

PubMed Central

Hedman, Leif; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2016-01-01

Objectives To investigate whether surgical simulation performance and previous video gaming experience would correlate with higher motivation to further train a specific simulator task and whether visual-spatial ability would rank higher in importance to surgical performance than the above. It was also examined whether or not motivation would correlate with a preference to choose a surgical specialty in the future and if simulator training would increase the interest in choosing that same work field. Methods Motivation and general interest in surgery was measured pre- and post-training in 30 medical students at Karolinska Institutet who were tested in a laparoscopic surgical simulator in parallel with measurement of visual-spatial ability and self-estimated video gaming experience.  Correlations between simulator performance metrics, visual-spatial ability and motivation were statistically analyzed using regression analysis. Results A good result in the first simulator trial correlated with higher self-determination index (r =-0.46, p=0.05) in male students. Visual-spatial ability was the most important underlying factor followed by intrinsic motivation score and finally video gaming experience (p=0.02, p=0.05, p=0.11) regarding simulator performance in male students. Simulator training increased interest in surgery when studying all subjects (p=0.01), male subjects (p=0.02) as well as subjects with low video gaming experience (p=0.02). Conclusions This preliminary study highlights individual differences regarding the effect of simulator training on motivation that can be taken into account when designing simulator training curricula, although the sample size is quite small and findings should be interpreted carefully.  PMID:26897701

Attention is allocated closely ahead of the target during smooth pursuit eye movements: Evidence from EEG frequency tagging.

PubMed

Chen, Jing; Valsecchi, Matteo; Gegenfurtner, Karl R

2017-07-28

It is under debate whether attention during smooth pursuit is centered right on the pursuit target or allocated preferentially ahead of it. Attentional deployment was previously probed using a secondary task, which might have altered attention allocation and led to inconsistent findings. We measured frequency-tagged steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEP) to measure attention allocation in the absence of any secondary probing task. The observers pursued a moving dot while stimuli flickering at different frequencies were presented at various locations ahead or behind the pursuit target. We observed a significant increase in EEG power at the flicker frequency of the stimulus in front of the pursuit target, compared to the frequency of the stimulus behind. When testing many different locations, we found that the enhancement was detectable up to about 1.5° ahead during pursuit, but vanished by 3.5°. In a control condition using attentional cueing during fixation, we did observe an enhanced EEG response to stimuli at this eccentricity, indicating that the focus of attention during pursuit is narrower than allowed for by the resolution of the attentional system. In a third experiment, we ruled out the possibility that the SSVEP enhancement was a byproduct of the catch-up saccades occurring during pursuit. Overall, we showed that attention is on average allocated ahead of the pursuit target during smooth pursuit. EEG frequency tagging seems to be a powerful technique that allows for the investigation of attention/perception implicitly when an overt task would be confounding. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Solving the optimal attention allocation problem in manual control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kleinman, D. L.

1976-01-01

Within the context of the optimal control model of human response, analytic expressions for the gradients of closed-loop performance metrics with respect to human operator attention allocation are derived. These derivatives serve as the basis for a gradient algorithm that determines the optimal attention that a human should allocate among several display indicators in a steady-state manual control task. Application of the human modeling techniques are made to study the hover control task for a CH-46 VTOL flight tested by NASA.

Perceptual grouping allows for attention to cover noncontiguous locations and suppress capture from nearby locations.

PubMed

Kerzel, Dirk; Born, Sabine; Schönhammer, Josef

2012-12-01

A salient stimulus may interrupt visual search because of attentional capture. It has been shown that attentional capture occurs with a wide, but not with a small attentional window. We tested the hypothesis that capture depends more strongly on the shape of the attentional window than on its size. Search elements were arranged in two nested rings. The ring containing the search target remained fixed, while a salient color singleton occurred either in the same or in the other ring. We observed that color singletons only disrupted search when shown in the same ring as the search target. It is important to note that, when focusing on the outer array, which presumably required a larger attentional window, singletons on the inner array did not capture attention. In contrast to the original attentional window hypothesis, our results show that attentional capture does not always occur with a large attentional window. Rather, attention can be flexibly allocated to the set of relevant stimulus locations and attentional capture is confined to the attended locations. Further experiments showed that attention was allocated to search elements that were perceptually grouped into "whole" or "Gestalt"-like objects, which prevented attentional capture from nearby locations. However, when attention was allocated to noncontiguous locations that did not form a perceptual Gestalt, nearby locations elicited attentional capture. Perceptual grouping could be based on a combination of color and position, but not on color alone. Thus, the allocation of attention to Gestalt-like objects that were jointly defined by similarity and proximity prevented attentional capture from nearby locations.

Exploring the Impact of Phonological Awareness, Visual-Spatial Working Memory, and Preschool Quantity--Number Competencies on Mathematics Achievement in Elementary School: Findings from a 3-year Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krajewski, Kristin; Schneider, Wolfgang

2009-01-01

This longitudinal study explored the importance of kindergarten measures of phonological awareness, working memory, and quantity-number competencies (QNC) for predicting mathematical school achievement in third graders (mean age 8 years 8 months). It was found that the impact of phonological awareness and visual-spatial working memory, assessed at…

Mental object rotation in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Crucian, Gregory P; Barrett, Anna M; Burks, David W; Riestra, Alonso R; Roth, Heidi L; Schwartz, Ronald L; Triggs, William J; Bowers, Dawn; Friedman, William; Greer, Melvin; Heilman, Kenneth M

2003-11-01

Deficits in visual-spatial ability can be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), and there are several possible reasons for these deficits. Dysfunction in frontal-striatal and/or frontal-parietal systems, associated with dopamine deficiency, might disrupt cognitive processes either supporting (e.g., working memory) or subserving visual-spatial computations. The goal of this study was to assess visual-spatial orientation ability in individuals with PD using the Mental Rotations Test (MRT), along with other measures of cognitive function. Non-demented men with PD were significantly less accurate on this test than matched control men. In contrast, women with PD performed similarly to matched control women, but both groups of women did not perform much better than chance. Further, mental rotation accuracy in men correlated with their executive skills involving mental processing and psychomotor speed. In women with PD, however, mental rotation accuracy correlated negatively with verbal memory, indicating that higher mental rotation performance was associated with lower ability in verbal memory. These results indicate that PD is associated with visual-spatial orientation deficits in men. Women with PD and control women both performed poorly on the MRT, possibly reflecting a floor effect. Although men and women with PD appear to engage different cognitive processes in this task, the reason for the sex difference remains to be elucidated.

The misnomer of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Wasserman, Theodore; Wasserman, Lori Drucker

2015-01-01

We propose that attention-deficit disorder represents an inefficiency of an integrated system designed to allocate working memory to designated tasks rather than the absence or dysfunction of a particular form of attention. A significant portion of this inefficiency in the allocation of working memory represents poor engagement of the reward circuit with distinct circuits of learning and performance that control instrumental conditioning (learning). Efficient attention requires the interaction of these circuits. For a significant percentage of individuals who present with attention-deficit disorder, their problems represent the engagement, or lack thereof, of the motivational and reward circuit as opposed to problems, or disorders of attention traditionally defined as problems with orienting, focusing, and sustaining. We demonstrate that there is an integrated system of working-memory allocation that responds by recruiting relevant aspects of both cortex and subcortex to the demands of the task being encountered. In this model, attention is viewed as a gating function determined by novelty, flight-or-fight response, and reward history/valence affecting motivation. We view the traditional models of attention, rather than describe specific types of attention per se, as representing the description of the behavioral output of this integrated orienting and engagement system designed to allocate working memory to task-specific stimuli.

A different kind of weapon focus: simulated training with ballistic weapons reduces change blindness.

PubMed

Taylor, J Eric T; Witt, Jessica K; Pratt, Jay

2017-01-01

Attentional allocation is flexibly altered by action-related priorities. Given that tools - and specifically weapons - can affect attentional allocation, we asked whether training with a weapon or holding a weapon during search would affect change detection. In three experiments, participants searched for changes to agents, shootable objects, or environments in the popular flicker paradigm. Participants trained with a simulated weapon or watched a video from the same training perspective and then searched for changes while holding a weapon or a control object. Results show an effect of training, highlighting the importance of sensorimotor experience for the action-relevant allocation of attention, and a possible interaction between training and the object held during search. Simulated training with ballistic weapons reduces change blindness. This result has implications for the interaction between tool use and attentional allocation.

Individual differences in working memory capacity predict visual attention allocation.

PubMed

Bleckley, M Kathryn; Durso, Francis T; Crutchfield, Jerry M; Engle, Randall W; Khanna, Maya M

2003-12-01

To the extent that individual differences in working memory capacity (WMC) reflect differences in attention (Baddeley, 1993; Engle, Kane, & Tuholski, 1999), differences in WMC should predict performance on visual attention tasks. Individuals who scored in the upper and lower quartiles on the OSPAN working memory test performed a modification of Egly and Homa's (1984) selective attention task. In this task, the participants identified a central letter and localized a displaced letter flashed somewhere on one of three concentric rings. When the displaced letter occurred closer to fixation than the cue implied, high-WMC, but not low-WMC, individuals showed a cost in the letter localization task. This suggests that low-WMC participants allocated attention as a spotlight, whereas those with high WMC showed flexible allocation.

Modulation of Automatic Semantic Priming by Feature-Specific Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan; Hermans, Dirk

2009-01-01

We argue that the semantic analysis of task-irrelevant stimuli is modulated by feature-specific attention allocation. In line with this hypothesis, we found semantic priming of pronunciation responses to depend upon the extent to which participants focused their attention upon specific semantic stimulus dimensions. In Experiment 1, we examined the…

The Role of Temporal Context and Expectancy in Resource Allocation to and Perception of Rapid Serial Events

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kranczioch, Cornelia; Dhinakaran, Janani

2013-01-01

The perception of target events presented in a rapid stream of non-targets is impaired for early target positions, but then gradually improves, a phenomenon known as attentional awakening. This phenomenon has been associated with better resource allocation. It is unclear though whether improved resource allocation and attentional awakening are a…

Technology and informal education: what is taught, what is learned.

PubMed

Greenfield, Patricia M

2009-01-02

The informal learning environments of television, video games, and the Internet are producing learners with a new profile of cognitive skills. This profile features widespread and sophisticated development of visual-spatial skills, such as iconic representation and spatial visualization. A pressing social problem is the prevalence of violent video games, leading to desensitization, aggressive behavior, and gender inequity in opportunities to develop visual-spatial skills. Formal education must adapt to these changes, taking advantage of new strengths in visual-spatial intelligence and compensating for new weaknesses in higher-order cognitive processes: abstract vocabulary, mindfulness, reflection, inductive problem solving, critical thinking, and imagination. These develop through the use of an older technology, reading, which, along with audio media such as radio, also stimulates imagination. Informal education therefore requires a balanced media diet using each technology's specific strengths in order to develop a complete profile of cognitive skills.

Brief report: visual-spatial deficit in a 16-year-old girl with maternally derived duplication of proximal 15q.

PubMed

Cohen, David; Martel, Claire; Wilson, Anna; Déchambre, Nicole; Amy, Céline; Duverger, Ludovic; Guile, Jean-Marc; Pipiras, Eva; Benzacken, Brigitte; Cavé, Hélène; Cohen, Laurent; Héron, Delphine; Plaza, Monique

2007-09-01

Duplications of chromosome 15 may be one of the most common single genetic causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), aside from fragile X. Most of the cases are associated with maternally derived interstitial duplication involving 15q11-13. This case report describes a female proband with a maternally derived interstitial duplication of proximal 15q. She did not exhibit any symptoms of ASD apart from some developmental delay. By adolescence, she showed mild dysmorphism, a discrepant profile on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (Verbal IQ = 87; Performance IQ = 65) and a major deficit in visual-spatial abilities affecting fine motor skills, mathematical reasoning, visual memory and some global reading tasks. This is one of the first reports of a child with a maternal duplication who exhibits a visual-spatial deficit without ASD.

Modeling the Round Earth through Diagrams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Padalkar, Shamin; Ramadas, Jayashree

Earlier studies have found that students, including adults, have problems understanding the scientifically accepted model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system and explaining day-to-day astronomical phenomena based on it. We have been examining such problems in the context of recent research on visual-spatial reasoning. Working with middle school students in India, we have developed a pedagogical sequence to build the mental model of the Earth and tried it in three schools for socially and educationally disadvantaged students. This pedagogy was developed on the basis of (1) a reading of current research in imagery and visual-spatial reasoning and (2) students' difficulties identified during the course of pretests and interviews. Visual-spatial tools such as concrete (physical) models, gestures, and diagrams are used extensively in the teaching sequence. The building of a mental model is continually integrated with drawing inferences to understand and explain everyday phenomena. The focus of this article is inferences drawn with diagrams.

The attentional white bear phenomenon: the mandatory allocation of attention to expected distractor locations.

PubMed

Tsal, Yehoshua; Makovski, Tal

2006-04-01

The authors devised a prestimulus-probe method to assess the allocation of attention as a function of participants' top-down expectancies concerning distractor and target locations. Participants performed the flanker task, and distractor locations remained fixed. On some trials, instead of the flanker display, either 2 simultaneous dots or a horizontal line appeared. The dot in the expected distractor location was perceived to occur before the dot in the expected empty location, and the line appeared to extend from the expected distractor location to the expected empty location, suggesting that attention is allocated to expected distractor locations prior to stimulus onset. The authors propose that a process-all mechanism guides attention to expected locations of all stimuli regardless of task demands and that this constitutes a major cause for failures of selective attention.

The dark side of the alpha rhythm: fMRI evidence for induced alpha modulation during complete darkness.

PubMed

Ben-Simon, Eti; Podlipsky, Ilana; Okon-Singer, Hadas; Gruberger, Michal; Cvetkovic, Dean; Intrator, Nathan; Hendler, Talma

2013-03-01

The unique role of the EEG alpha rhythm in different states of cortical activity is still debated. The main theories regarding alpha function posit either sensory processing or attention allocation as the main processes governing its modulation. Closing and opening eyes, a well-known manipulation of the alpha rhythm, could be regarded as attention allocation from inward to outward focus though during light is also accompanied by visual change. To disentangle the effects of attention allocation and sensory visual input on alpha modulation, 14 healthy subjects were asked to open and close their eyes during conditions of light and of complete darkness while simultaneous recordings of EEG and fMRI were acquired. Thus, during complete darkness the eyes-open condition is not related to visual input but only to attention allocation, allowing direct examination of its role in alpha modulation. A data-driven ridge regression classifier was applied to the EEG data in order to ascertain the contribution of the alpha rhythm to eyes-open/eyes-closed inference in both lighting conditions. Classifier results revealed significant alpha contribution during both light and dark conditions, suggesting that alpha rhythm modulation is closely linked to the change in the direction of attention regardless of the presence of visual sensory input. Furthermore, fMRI activation maps derived from an alpha modulation time-course during the complete darkness condition exhibited a right frontal cortical network associated with attention allocation. These findings support the importance of top-down processes such as attention allocation to alpha rhythm modulation, possibly as a prerequisite to its known bottom-up processing of sensory input. © 2012 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Signal Enhancement and Suppression During Visual-Spatial Selective Attention

PubMed Central

Couperus, J. W.; Mangun, G.R.

2010-01-01

Selective attention involves the relative enhancement of relevant versus irrelevant stimuli. However, whether this relative enhancement involves primarily enhancement of attended stimuli, or suppression of irrelevant stimuli, remains controversial. Moreover, if both enhancement and suppression are involved, whether they result from a single mechanism or separate mechanisms during attentional control or selection is not known. In two experiments using a spatial cuing paradigm with task-relevant targets and irrelevant distractors, target and distracter processing was examined as a function of distractor expectancy. Additionally, in the second study the interaction of perceptual load and distractor expectancy was explored. In both experiments, distractors were either validly cued (70%) or invalidly cued (30%) in order to examine the effects of distractor expectancy on attentional control as well as target and distractor processing. The effects of distractor expectancy were assessed using event-related potentials recorded during the cue-to-target period (preparatory attention) and in response to the task-relevant target stimuli (selective stimulus processing). Analyses of distractor-present displays (anticipated versus unanticipated), showed modulations in brain activity during both the preparatory period and during target processing. The pattern of brain responses suggest both facilitation of attended targets and suppression of unattended distractors. These findings provide evidence for a two-process model of visual spatial selective attention, where one mechanism (facilitation) influences relevant stimuli and another (suppression) acts to filter distracting stimuli. PMID:20807513

Contingent attentional capture or delayed allocation of attention?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Remington, R. W.; Folk, C. L.; McLean, J. P.

2001-01-01

Under certain circumstances, external stimuli will elicit an involuntary shift of spatial attention, referred to as attentional capture. According to the contingent involuntary orienting account (Folk, Remington, & Johnston, 1992), capture is conditioned by top-down factors that set attention to respond involuntarily to stimulus properties relevant to one's behavioral goals. Evidence for this comes from spatial cuing studies showing that a spatial cuing effect is observed only when cues have goal-relevant properties. Here, we examine alternative, decision-level explanations of the spatial cuing effect that attribute evidence of capture to postpresentation delays in the voluntary allocation of attention, rather than to on-line involuntary shifts in direct response to the cue. In three spatial cuing experiments, delayed-allocation accounts were tested by examining whether items at the cued location were preferentially processed. The experiments provide evidence that costs and benefits in spatial cuing experiments do reflect the on-line capture of attention. The implications of these results for models of attentional control are discussed.

The Attentional White Bear Phenomenon: The Mandatory Allocation of Attention to Expected Distractor Locations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsal, Yehoshua; Makovski, Tal

2006-01-01

The authors devised a prestimulus-probe method to assess the allocation of attention as a function of participants' top-down expectancies concerning distractor and target locations. Participants performed the flanker task, and distractor locations remained fixed. On some trials, instead of the flanker display, either 2 simultaneous dots or a…

Spontaneous Attention to Faces in Asperger Syndrome Using Ecologically Valid Static Stimuli

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanley, Mary; McPhillips, Martin; Mulhern, Gerry; Riby, Deborah M.

2013-01-01

Previous eye tracking research on the allocation of attention to social information by individuals with autism spectrum disorders is equivocal and may be in part a consequence of variation in stimuli used between studies. The current study explored attention allocation to faces, and within faces, by individuals with Asperger syndrome using a range…

Statistical Regularities Attract Attention when Task-Relevant.

PubMed

Alamia, Andrea; Zénon, Alexandre

2016-01-01

Visual attention seems essential for learning the statistical regularities in our environment, a process known as statistical learning. However, how attention is allocated when exploring a novel visual scene whose statistical structure is unknown remains unclear. In order to address this question, we investigated visual attention allocation during a task in which we manipulated the conditional probability of occurrence of colored stimuli, unbeknown to the subjects. Participants were instructed to detect a target colored dot among two dots moving along separate circular paths. We evaluated implicit statistical learning, i.e., the effect of color predictability on reaction times (RTs), and recorded eye position concurrently. Attention allocation was indexed by comparing the Mahalanobis distance between the position, velocity and acceleration of the eyes and the two colored dots. We found that learning the conditional probabilities occurred very early during the course of the experiment as shown by the fact that, starting already from the first block, predictable stimuli were detected with shorter RT than unpredictable ones. In terms of attentional allocation, we found that the predictive stimulus attracted gaze only when it was informative about the occurrence of the target but not when it predicted the occurrence of a task-irrelevant stimulus. This suggests that attention allocation was influenced by regularities only when they were instrumental in performing the task. Moreover, we found that the attentional bias towards task-relevant predictive stimuli occurred at a very early stage of learning, concomitantly with the first effects of learning on RT. In conclusion, these results show that statistical regularities capture visual attention only after a few occurrences, provided these regularities are instrumental to perform the task.

Dynamic Changes in Phase-Amplitude Coupling Facilitate Spatial Attention Control in Fronto-Parietal Cortex

PubMed Central

Szczepanski, Sara M.; Crone, Nathan E.; Kuperman, Rachel A.; Auguste, Kurtis I.; Parvizi, Josef; Knight, Robert T.

2014-01-01

Attention is a core cognitive mechanism that allows the brain to allocate limited resources depending on current task demands. A number of frontal and posterior parietal cortical areas, referred to collectively as the fronto-parietal attentional control network, are engaged during attentional allocation in both humans and non-human primates. Numerous studies have examined this network in the human brain using various neuroimaging and scalp electrophysiological techniques. However, little is known about how these frontal and parietal areas interact dynamically to produce behavior on a fine temporal (sub-second) and spatial (sub-centimeter) scale. We addressed how human fronto-parietal regions control visuospatial attention on a fine spatiotemporal scale by recording electrocorticography (ECoG) signals measured directly from subdural electrode arrays that were implanted in patients undergoing intracranial monitoring for localization of epileptic foci. Subjects (n = 8) performed a spatial-cuing task, in which they allocated visuospatial attention to either the right or left visual field and detected the appearance of a target. We found increases in high gamma (HG) power (70–250 Hz) time-locked to trial onset that remained elevated throughout the attentional allocation period over frontal, parietal, and visual areas. These HG power increases were modulated by the phase of the ongoing delta/theta (2–5 Hz) oscillation during attentional allocation. Critically, we found that the strength of this delta/theta phase-HG amplitude coupling predicted reaction times to detected targets on a trial-by-trial basis. These results highlight the role of delta/theta phase-HG amplitude coupling as a mechanism for sub-second facilitation and coordination within human fronto-parietal cortex that is guided by momentary attentional demands. PMID:25157678

Alcohol and Sleep Restriction Combined Reduces Vigilant Attention, Whereas Sleep Restriction Alone Enhances Distractibility

PubMed Central

Lee, James; Manousakis, Jessica; Fielding, Joanne; Anderson, Clare

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: Alcohol and sleep loss are leading causes of motor vehicle crashes, whereby attention failure is a core causal factor. Despite a plethora of data describing the effect of alcohol and sleep loss on vigilant attention, little is known about their effect on voluntary and involuntary visual attention processes. Design: Repeated-measures, counterbalanced design. Setting: Controlled laboratory setting. Participants: Sixteen young (18–27 y; M = 21.90 ± 0.60 y) healthy males. Interventions: Participants completed an attention test battery during the afternoon (13:00–14:00) under four counterbalanced conditions: (1) baseline; (2) alcohol (0.05% breath alcohol concentration); (3) sleep restriction (02:00–07:00); and (4) alcohol/sleep restriction combined. This test battery included a Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) as a measure of vigilant attention, and two ocular motor tasks—visually guided and antisaccade—to measure the involuntary and voluntary allocation of visual attention. Measurements and Results: Only the combined condition led to reductions in vigilant attention characterized by slower mean reaction time, fastest 10% responses, and increased number of lapses (P < 0.05) on the PVT. In addition, the combined condition led to a slowing in the voluntary allocation of attention as reflected by increased antisaccade latencies (P < 0.05). Sleep restriction alone however increased both antisaccade inhibitory errors [45.8% errors versus < 28.4% all others; P < 0.001] and the involuntary allocation of attention, as reflected by faster visually guided latencies (177.7 msec versus > 185.0 msec all others) to a peripheral target (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Our data reveal specific signatures for sleep related attention failure: the voluntary allocation of attention is impaired, whereas the involuntary allocation of attention is enhanced. This provides key evidence for the role of distraction in attention failure during sleep loss. Citation: Lee J, Manousakis J, Fielding J, Anderson C. Alcohol and sleep restriction combined reduces vigilant attention, whereas sleep restriction alone enhances distractibility. SLEEP 2015;38(5):765–775. PMID:25515101

Attentional Allocation of Autism Spectrum Disorder Individuals: Searching for a Face-in-the-Crowd

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, David J.; Reidy, John; Heavey, Lisa

2016-01-01

A study is reported which tests the proposition that faces capture the attention of those with autism spectrum disorders less than a typical population. A visual search task based on the Face-in-the-Crowd paradigm was used to examine the attentional allocation of autism spectrum disorder adults for faces. Participants were required to search for…

Is contextual cueing more than the guidance of visual-spatial attention?

PubMed

Schankin, Andrea; Hagemann, Dirk; Schubö, Anna

2011-04-01

When search displays are repeatedly presented, participants become faster in finding the target (contextual cueing, CC). It has been debated whether a more liberal response criterion might contribute to CC. In the current experiment, participants had to search through target-absent and target-present trials to compute d-prime as the measurement of sensitivity and beta as the measurement of response bias. Results showed that participants' sensitivity was not affected by the repetition of search displays. Although repeated displays led to both faster RTs and a more liberal response criterion, these effects were uncorrelated. In the event-related potential, RT effects were reflected by a late positive activity, which reflects response-related processes, but not by differences in the N2pc as electrophysiological correlate of focused attention. These results indicate that a more liberal response criterion is not the cause for CC effects in RTs but that other response-related processes might still contribute to the effect. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Different Cognitive Profiles of Patients with Severe Aphasia.

PubMed

Marinelli, Chiara Valeria; Spaccavento, Simona; Craca, Angela; Marangolo, Paola; Angelelli, Paola

2017-01-01

Cognitive dysfunction frequently occurs in aphasic patients and primarily compromises linguistic skills. However, patients suffering from severe aphasia show heterogeneous performance in basic cognition. Our aim was to characterize the cognitive profiles of patients with severe aphasia and to determine whether they also differ as to residual linguistic abilities. We examined 189 patients with severe aphasia with standard language tests and with the CoBaGA (Cognitive Test Battery for Global Aphasia), a battery of nonverbal tests that assesses a wide range of cognitive domains such as attention, executive functions, intelligence, memory, visual-auditory recognition, and visual-spatial abilities. Twenty patients were also followed longitudinally in order to assess their improvement in cognitive skills after speech therapy. Three different subgroups of patients with different types and severity of cognitive impairment were evidenced. Subgroups differed as to residual linguistic skills, in particular comprehension and reading-writing abilities. Attention, reasoning, and executive functions improved after language rehabilitation. This study highlights the importance of an extensive evaluation of cognitive functions in patients with severe aphasia.

Psychosocial Outcomes in Long-Term Cochlear Implant Users.

PubMed

Castellanos, Irina; Kronenberger, William G; Pisoni, David B

The objectives of this study were to investigate psychosocial outcomes in a sample of prelingually deaf, early-implanted children, adolescents, and young adults who are long-term cochlear implant (CI) users and to examine the extent to which language and executive functioning predict psychosocial outcomes. Psychosocial outcomes were measured using two well-validated, parent-completed checklists: the Behavior Assessment System for Children and the Conduct Hyperactive Attention Problem Oppositional Symptom. Neurocognitive skills were measured using gold standard, performance-based assessments of language and executive functioning. CI users were at greater risk for clinically significant deficits in areas related to attention, oppositional behavior, hyperactivity-impulsivity, and social-adaptive skills compared with their normal-hearing peers, although the majority of CI users scored within average ranges relative to Behavior Assessment System for Children norms. Regression analyses revealed that language, visual-spatial working memory, and inhibition-concentration skills predicted psychosocial outcomes. Findings suggest that underlying delays and deficits in language and executive functioning may place some CI users at a risk for difficulties in psychosocial adjustment.

The Mental Status Expert (MSE): an expert system for scoring and interpreting the mental status examination.

PubMed Central

Hier, D. B.; Jao, C. S.; Brint, S. U.

1994-01-01

The mental status examination is the most difficult and time-consuming portion of the neurological examination. A complete mental status examination requires the examiner to assess alertness, memory, language, praxis, gnosis, attention, and visual-spatial functions. Findings of the mental status need to be interpreted in terms of severity of deficits, nature of the deficits, likely etiology, and likely area of corresponding brain injury. The performance of an accurate, complete, and detailed mental status examination is a daunting task for the medical student or resident in training. Traditional mental status examinations show considerable inter-examiner variability for items administered and for interpretation of abnormalities. Even in academic settings, mental status examinations have little educational content. PMID:7949891

Neurophysiological measures of involuntary and voluntary attention allocation and dispositional differences in need for cognition.

PubMed

Enge, Sören; Fleischhauer, Monika; Brocke, Burkhard; Strobel, Alexander

2008-06-01

Need for cognition (NFC) refers to stable individual differences in the intrinsic motivation to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive endeavors and has been a useful predictor of dispositional differences in information processing. Although cognitive resource allocation conceptualized as cognitive effort is assumed to be the key mediator of NFC-specific processing, to date no research has systematically addressed its underpinnings. Using a neurocognitive paradigm and recording event-related potentials associated with bottom-up and top-down-driven aspects of attention, the present research contributes to filling this gap. In Study 1, high-NFC individuals showed larger P3a amplitudes to contextually novel events, indicating greater involuntary (automatic) attention allocation. This effect was replicated in Study 2, where NFC also was positively correlated with the P3b to target stimuli, indicating voluntary (controlled) processes of attention allocation. Thus, our findings provide first evidence for neurophysiological correlates of NFC and can improve the understanding of NFC-specific processing.

Human performance in a multiple-task environment: effects of automation reliability on visual attention allocation.

PubMed

Cullen, Ralph H; Rogers, Wendy A; Fisk, Arthur D

2013-11-01

Diagnostic automation has been posited to alleviate the high demands of multiple-task environments; however, mixed effects have been found pertaining to performance aid success. To better understand these effects, attention allocation must be studied directly. We developed a multiple-task environment to study the effects of automation on visual attention. Participants interacted with a system providing varying levels of automation and automation reliability and then were transferred to a system with no support. Attention allocation was measured by tracking the number of times each task was viewed. We found that participants receiving automation allocated their time according to the task frequency and that tasks that benefited most from automation were most harmed when it was removed. The results suggest that the degree to which automation affects multiple-task performance is dependent on the relative attributes of the tasks involved. Moreover, there is an inverse relationship between support and cost when automation fails. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Individual Differences in Temporal Selective Attention as Reflected in Pupil Dilation.

PubMed

Willems, Charlotte; Herdzin, Johannes; Martens, Sander

2015-01-01

Attention is restricted for the second of two targets when it is presented within 200-500 ms of the first target. This attentional blink (AB) phenomenon allows one to study the dynamics of temporal selective attention by varying the interval between the two targets (T1 and T2). Whereas the AB has long been considered as a robust and universal cognitive limitation, several studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs between individuals, with some individuals showing no AB whatsoever. Here, we studied these individual differences in AB task performance in relation to differences in attentional timing. Furthermore, we investigated whether AB magnitude is predictive for the amount of attention allocated to T1. For both these purposes pupil dilation was measured, and analyzed with our recently developed deconvolution method. We found that the dynamics of temporal attention in small versus large blinkers differ in a number of ways. Individuals with a relatively small AB magnitude seem better able to preserve temporal order information. In addition, they are quicker to allocate attention to both T1 and T2 than large blinkers. Although a popular explanation of the AB is that it is caused by an unnecessary overinvestment of attention allocated to T1, a more complex picture emerged from our data, suggesting that this may depend on whether one is a small or a large blinker. The use of pupil dilation deconvolution seems to be a powerful approach to study the temporal dynamics of attention, bringing us a step closer to understanding the elusive nature of the AB. We conclude that the timing of attention to targets may be more important than the amount of allocated attention in accounting for individual differences.

Self-reflection Orients Visual Attention Downward

PubMed Central

Liu, Yi; Tong, Yu; Li, Hong

2017-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated abstract concepts associated with spatial location (e.g., God in the Heavens) could direct visual attention upward or downward, because thinking about the abstract concepts activates the corresponding vertical perceptual symbols. For self-concept, there are similar metaphors (e.g., “I am above others”). However, whether thinking about the self can induce visual attention orientation is still unknown. Therefore, the current study tested whether self-reflection can direct visual attention. Individuals often display the tendency of self-enhancement in social comparison, which reminds the individual of the higher position one possesses relative to others within the social environment. As the individual is the agent of the attention orientation, and high status tends to make an individual look down upon others to obtain a sense of pride, it was hypothesized that thinking about the self would lead to a downward attention orientation. Using reflection of personality traits and a target discrimination task, Study 1 found that, after self-reflection, visual attention was directed downward. Similar effects were also found after friend-reflection, with the level of downward attention being correlated with the likability rating scores of the friend. Thus, in Study 2, a disliked other was used as a control and the positive self-view was measured with above-average judgment task. We found downward attention orientation after self-reflection, but not after reflection upon the disliked other. Moreover, the attentional bias after self-reflection was correlated with above-average self-view. The current findings provide the first evidence that thinking about the self could direct visual-spatial attention downward, and suggest that this effect is probably derived from a positive self-view within the social context. PMID:28928694

Self-reflection Orients Visual Attention Downward.

PubMed

Liu, Yi; Tong, Yu; Li, Hong

2017-01-01

Previous research has demonstrated abstract concepts associated with spatial location (e.g., God in the Heavens) could direct visual attention upward or downward, because thinking about the abstract concepts activates the corresponding vertical perceptual symbols. For self-concept, there are similar metaphors (e.g., "I am above others"). However, whether thinking about the self can induce visual attention orientation is still unknown. Therefore, the current study tested whether self-reflection can direct visual attention. Individuals often display the tendency of self-enhancement in social comparison, which reminds the individual of the higher position one possesses relative to others within the social environment. As the individual is the agent of the attention orientation, and high status tends to make an individual look down upon others to obtain a sense of pride, it was hypothesized that thinking about the self would lead to a downward attention orientation. Using reflection of personality traits and a target discrimination task, Study 1 found that, after self-reflection, visual attention was directed downward. Similar effects were also found after friend-reflection, with the level of downward attention being correlated with the likability rating scores of the friend. Thus, in Study 2, a disliked other was used as a control and the positive self-view was measured with above-average judgment task. We found downward attention orientation after self-reflection, but not after reflection upon the disliked other. Moreover, the attentional bias after self-reflection was correlated with above-average self-view. The current findings provide the first evidence that thinking about the self could direct visual-spatial attention downward, and suggest that this effect is probably derived from a positive self-view within the social context.

Error rate information in attention allocation pilot models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faulkner, W. H.; Onstott, E. D.

1977-01-01

The Northrop urgency decision pilot model was used in a command tracking task to compare the optimized performance of multiaxis attention allocation pilot models whose urgency functions were (1) based on tracking error alone, and (2) based on both tracking error and error rate. A matrix of system dynamics and command inputs was employed, to create both symmetric and asymmetric two axis compensatory tracking tasks. All tasks were single loop on each axis. Analysis showed that a model that allocates control attention through nonlinear urgency functions using only error information could not achieve performance of the full model whose attention shifting algorithm included both error and error rate terms. Subsequent to this analysis, tracking performance predictions for the full model were verified by piloted flight simulation. Complete model and simulation data are presented.

Developmental changes in children's abilities to share and allocate attention in a dual task.

PubMed

Irwin-Chase, H; Burns, B

2000-09-01

Characterizing developmental changes in children's dual-task performance has been problematic because differences in divided attention abilities are easily confounded with differences in overall capacity. Two experiments showed that after individual differences in children's capacity for single-task performance were controlled for, age differences between second- (M = 8.1 years) and fifth-grade (M = 11.1 years) children did not exist in dual-task performance when tasks were of equal priority. However, when tasks had different priorities, only fifth-grade children could differentially allocate attention in the dual task. Results are discussed within the coordination hypothesis framework (see A. F. Kramer & J. L. Larish, 1996), which suggests that changes in dual-task performance with aging are due to changes in the ability to coordinate and control the allocation of attention. It is argued that linking the investigations of children's attention with research on attention and aging provides both methodological and theoretical benefits. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.

The Diagnosticity of Color for Emotional Objects

PubMed Central

McMenamin, Brenton W.; Radue, Jasmine; Trask, Joanna; Huskamp, Kristin; Kersten, Daniel; Marsolek, Chad J.

2012-01-01

Object classification can be facilitated if simple diagnostic features can be used to determine class membership. Previous studies have found that simple shapes may be diagnostic for emotional content and automatically alter the allocation of visual attention. In the present study, we analyzed whether color is diagnostic of emotional content and tested whether emotionally diagnostic hues alter the allocation of visual attention. Reddish-yellow hues are more common in (i.e., diagnostic of) emotional images, particularly images with positive emotional content. An exogenous cueing paradigm was employed to test whether these diagnostic hues orient attention differently from other hues due to the emotional diagnosticity. In two experiments, we found that participants allocated attention differently to diagnostic hues than to non-diagnostic hues, in a pattern indicating a broadening of spatial attention when cued with diagnostic hues. Moreover, the attentional broadening effect was predicted by self-reported measures of affective style, linking the behavioral effect to emotional processes. These results confirm the existence and use of diagnostic features for the rapid detection of emotional content. PMID:24659831

Effects of induced and naturalistic mood on the temporal allocation of attention to emotional information.

PubMed

Farach, Frank J; Treat, Teresa A; Jungé, Justin A

2014-01-01

Building upon recent findings that affective states can influence the allocation of spatial attention, we investigate how state, trait and induced mood are related to the temporal allocation of attention to emotional information. In the present study, 125 unscreened undergraduates completed a modified rapid serial visual presentation task designed to assess the time course of attention to positive and negative information, comparing a neutral baseline mood induction to either a positive or negative mood induction. Induced negative mood facilitated attentional engagement to positive information while decreasing attentional engagement to negative information. Greater naturally occurring negative state mood was associated with faster or more efficient disengagement of attention from negative information in the presence of manipulated negative mood, relative to baseline. The engagement findings were inconsistent with our mood-congruence hypotheses and may be better explained by mood repair or affective counter-regulation theories. In contrast, the disengagement findings for state mood were somewhat consistent with our mood-congruence hypotheses. The relationship between mood and attention to emotional information may differ depending on the combination of attentional mechanism (engagement versus disengagement), aspect of mood (state, trait or induced), stimulus valence (positive versus negative) and timescale (early versus late) under investigation.

The development of children's knowledge of attention and resource allocation in single and dual tasks.

PubMed

Dossett, D; Burns, B

2000-06-01

Developmental changes in kindergarten, 1st-, and 4th-grade children's knowledge about the variables that affect attention sharing and resource allocation were examined. Findings from the 2 experiments showed that kindergartners understood that person and strategy variables affect performance in attention-sharing tasks. However, knowledge of how task variables affect performance was not evident to them and was inconsistent for 1st and 4th graders. Children's knowledge about resource allocation revealed a different pattern and varied according to the dissimilarity of task demands in the attention-sharing task. In Experiment 1, in which the dual attention tasks were similar (i.e., visual detection), kindergarten and 1st-grade children did not differentiate performance in single and dual tasks. Fourth graders demonstrated knowledge that performance on a single task would be better than performance on the dual tasks for only 2 of the variables examined. In Experiment 2, in which the dual attention tasks were dissimilar (i.e., visual and auditory detection), kindergarten and 1st-grade children demonstrated knowledge that performance in the single task would be better than in the dual tasks for 1 of the task variables examined. However, 4th-grade children consistently gave higher ratings for performance on the single than on the dual attention tasks for all variables examined. These findings (a) underscore that children's meta-attention is not unitary and (b) demonstrate that children's knowledge about variables affecting attention sharing and resource allocation have different developmental pathways. Results show that knowledge about attention sharing and about the factors that influence the control of attention develops slowly and undergoes reorganization in middle childhood.

Neural bases of selective attention in action video game players.

PubMed

Bavelier, D; Achtman, R L; Mani, M; Föcker, J

2012-05-15

Over the past few years, the very act of playing action video games has been shown to enhance several different aspects of visual selective attention, yet little is known about the neural mechanisms that mediate such attentional benefits. A review of the aspects of attention enhanced in action game players suggests there are changes in the mechanisms that control attention allocation and its efficiency (Hubert-Wallander, Green, & Bavelier, 2010). The present study used brain imaging to test this hypothesis by comparing attentional network recruitment and distractor processing in action gamers versus non-gamers as attentional demands increased. Moving distractors were found to elicit lesser activation of the visual motion-sensitive area (MT/MST) in gamers as compared to non-gamers, suggestive of a better early filtering of irrelevant information in gamers. As expected, a fronto-parietal network of areas showed greater recruitment as attentional demands increased in non-gamers. In contrast, gamers barely engaged this network as attentional demands increased. This reduced activity in the fronto-parietal network that is hypothesized to control the flexible allocation of top-down attention is compatible with the proposal that action game players may allocate attentional resources more automatically, possibly allowing more efficient early filtering of irrelevant information. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motivation and attention: Incongruent effects of feedback on the processing of valence.

PubMed

Rothermund, Klaus

2003-09-01

Four experiments investigated the relation between outcome-related motivational states and processes of automatic attention allocation. Experiments 1-3 analyzed influences of feedback on evaluative decisions. Words of opposite valence to the feedback were processed faster, indicating that it is easier to allocate attention to the valence of an affectively incongruent word. Experiment 4 replicated the incongruent effect with interference effects of word valence in a grammatical-categorization task, indicating that the effect reflects automatic attentional capture. In all experiments, incongruent effects of feedback emerged only in a situation involving an attentional shift between words that differed in valence.

Lateralized electrical brain activity reveals covert attention allocation during speaking.

PubMed

Rommers, Joost; Meyer, Antje S; Praamstra, Peter

2017-01-27

Speakers usually begin to speak while only part of the utterance has been planned. Earlier work has shown that speech planning processes are reflected in speakers' eye movements as they describe visually presented objects. However, to-be-named objects can be processed to some extent before they have been fixated upon, presumably because attention can be allocated to objects covertly, without moving the eyes. The present study investigated whether EEG could track speakers' covert attention allocation as they produced short utterances to describe pairs of objects (e.g., "dog and chair"). The processing difficulty of each object was varied by presenting it in upright orientation (easy) or in upside down orientation (difficult). Background squares flickered at different frequencies in order to elicit steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). The N2pc component, associated with the focusing of attention on an item, was detectable not only prior to speech onset, but also during speaking. The time course of the N2pc showed that attention shifted to each object in the order of mention prior to speech onset. Furthermore, greater processing difficulty increased the time speakers spent attending to each object. This demonstrates that the N2pc can track covert attention allocation in a naming task. In addition, an effect of processing difficulty at around 200-350ms after stimulus onset revealed early attention allocation to the second to-be-named object. The flickering backgrounds elicited SSVEPs, but SSVEP amplitude was not influenced by processing difficulty. These results help complete the picture of the coordination of visual information uptake and motor output during speaking. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of event related potentials with and without hypnagogic imagery.

PubMed

Michida, N; Hayashi, M; Hori, T

1998-04-01

It is hypothesized that when hypnagogic imagery occurs, an appropriate attention may allocate to the imagery, resulting in the allocation of attention to the external tone stimuli being diminished. N3 amplitude of event related potentials (ERP) obtained a significant difference between the conditions with and without imagery. Arousal level of behavior and electroencephalography were not different between the conditions, therefore it is interpreted that the decrease of the N3 amplitude during imagining reflects the diminution of the allocation of attention to the external tone stimuli. Another late component of ERP, P3, did not make clear peaks in this study despite a large time constant (tau=3.2 s) used for EEG records.

Can(not) take my eyes off it: attention bias for food in overweight participants.

PubMed

Werthmann, Jessica; Roefs, Anne; Nederkoorn, Chantal; Mogg, Karin; Bradley, Brendan P; Jansen, Anita

2011-09-01

The aim of the current study was to investigate attention biases for food cues, craving, and overeating in overweight and healthy-weight participants. Specifically, it was tested whether attention allocation processes toward high-fat foods differ between overweight and normal weight individuals and whether selective attention biases for food cues are related to craving and food intake. Eye movements were recorded as a direct index of attention allocation in a sample of 22 overweight/obese and 29 healthy-weight female students during a visual probe task with food pictures. In addition, self-reported craving and actual food intake during a bogus "taste-test" were assessed. Overweight participants showed an approach-avoidance pattern of attention allocation toward high-fat food. Overweight participants directed their first gaze more often toward food pictures than healthy-weight individuals, but subsequently showed reduced maintenance of attention on these pictures. For overweight participants, craving was related to initial orientation toward food. Moreover, overweight participants consumed significantly more snack food than healthy-weight participants. Results emphasize the importance of identifying different attention bias components in overweight individuals with regard to craving and subsequent overeating.

Using Reinforcement Learning to Examine Dynamic Attention Allocation during Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Yanping; Reichle, Erik D.; Gao, Ding-Guo

2013-01-01

A fundamental question in reading research concerns whether attention is allocated strictly serially, supporting lexical processing of one word at a time, or in parallel, supporting concurrent lexical processing of two or more words (Reichle, Liversedge, Pollatsek, & Rayner, 2009). The origins of this debate are reviewed. We then report three…

Surgical simulation tasks challenge visual working memory and visual-spatial ability differently.

PubMed

Schlickum, Marcus; Hedman, Leif; Enochsson, Lars; Henningsohn, Lars; Kjellin, Ann; Felländer-Tsai, Li

2011-04-01

New strategies for selection and training of physicians are emerging. Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between visual-spatial ability and visual working memory with surgical simulator performance. The aim of this study was to perform a detailed analysis on how these abilities are associated with metrics in simulator performance with different task content. The hypothesis is that the importance of visual-spatial ability and visual working memory varies with different task contents. Twenty-five medical students participated in the study that involved testing visual-spatial ability using the MRT-A test and visual working memory using the RoboMemo computer program. Subjects were also trained and tested for performance in three different surgical simulators. The scores from the psychometric tests and the performance metrics were then correlated using multivariate analysis. MRT-A score correlated significantly with the performance metrics Efficiency of screening (p = 0.006) and Total time (p = 0.01) in the GI Mentor II task and Total score (p = 0.02) in the MIST-VR simulator task. In the Uro Mentor task, both the MRT-A score and the visual working memory 3-D cube test score as presented in the RoboMemo program (p = 0.02) correlated with Total score (p = 0.004). In this study we have shown that some differences exist regarding the impact of visual abilities and task content on simulator performance. When designing future cognitive training programs and testing regimes, one might have to consider that the design must be adjusted in accordance with the specific surgical task to be trained in mind.

Does distraction reduce the alcohol-aggression relation? A cognitive and behavioral test of the attention-allocation model.

PubMed

Gallagher, Kathryn E; Parrott, Dominic J

2011-06-01

This study provided the first direct test of the cognitive underpinnings of the attention-allocation model and attempted to replicate and extend past behavioral findings for this model as an explanation for alcohol-related aggression. A diverse community sample (55% African American) of men (N = 159) between 21 and 35 years of age (M = 25.80) were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 beverage conditions (i.e., alcohol, no-alcohol control) and 1 of 2 distraction conditions (i.e., distraction, no-distraction). Following beverage consumption, participants were provoked via reception of electric shocks and a verbal insult from a fictitious male opponent. Participants' attention allocation to aggression words (i.e., aggression bias) and physical aggression were measured using a dot probe task and a shock-based aggression task, respectively. Intoxicated men whose attention was distracted displayed significantly lower levels of aggression bias and enacted significantly less physical aggression than intoxicated men whose attention was not distracted. However, aggression bias did not account for the lower levels of alcohol-related aggression in the distraction, relative to the no-distraction, condition. These results replicated and extended past evidence that cognitive distraction is associated with lower levels of alcohol-related aggression in highly provoked males and provide the first known cognitive data to support the attentional processes posited by the attention-allocation model. Discussion focused on how these data inform intervention programming for alcohol-related aggression. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Does Distraction Reduce the Alcohol-Aggression Relation?: A Cognitive and Behavioral Test of the Attention-Allocation Model

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Kathryn E.; Parrott, Dominic J.

2011-01-01

Objective This study provided the first direct test of the cognitive underpinnings of the attention-allocation model and attempted to replicate and extend past behavioral findings for this model as an explanation for alcohol-related aggression. Method A diverse community sample (55% African-American) of males (N = 159) between 21 and 35 years of age (M = 25.80) were randomly assigned to one of two beverage conditions (i.e., alcohol, no-alcohol control) and one of two distraction conditions (i.e., distraction, no-distraction). Following beverage consumption, participants were provoked via reception of electric shocks and a verbal insult from a fictitious male opponent. Participants’ attention-allocation to aggression words (i.e., aggression bias) and physical aggression were measured using a dot probe task and a shock-based aggression task, respectively. Results Intoxicated men whose attention was distracted displayed significantly lower levels of aggression bias and enacted significantly less physical aggression than intoxicated men whose attention was not distracted. However, aggression bias did not account for the lower levels of alcohol-related aggression in the distraction, relative to the no-distraction, condition. Conclusions These results replicated and extended past evidence that cognitive distraction is associated with lower levels of alcohol-related aggression in highly provoked males and provide the first known cognitive data to support the attentional processes posited by the attention-allocation model. Discussion focused on how these data inform intervention programming for alcohol-related aggression. PMID:21500889

Is Attentional Resource Allocation Across Sensory Modalities Task-Dependent?

PubMed

Wahn, Basil; König, Peter

2017-01-01

Human information processing is limited by attentional resources. That is, via attentional mechanisms, humans select a limited amount of sensory input to process while other sensory input is neglected. In multisensory research, a matter of ongoing debate is whether there are distinct pools of attentional resources for each sensory modality or whether attentional resources are shared across sensory modalities. Recent studies have suggested that attentional resource allocation across sensory modalities is in part task-dependent. That is, the recruitment of attentional resources across the sensory modalities depends on whether processing involves object-based attention (e.g., the discrimination of stimulus attributes) or spatial attention (e.g., the localization of stimuli). In the present paper, we review findings in multisensory research related to this view. For the visual and auditory sensory modalities, findings suggest that distinct resources are recruited when humans perform object-based attention tasks, whereas for the visual and tactile sensory modalities, partially shared resources are recruited. If object-based attention tasks are time-critical, shared resources are recruited across the sensory modalities. When humans perform an object-based attention task in combination with a spatial attention task, partly shared resources are recruited across the sensory modalities as well. Conversely, for spatial attention tasks, attentional processing does consistently involve shared attentional resources for the sensory modalities. Generally, findings suggest that the attentional system flexibly allocates attentional resources depending on task demands. We propose that such flexibility reflects a large-scale optimization strategy that minimizes the brain's costly resource expenditures and simultaneously maximizes capability to process currently relevant information.

Validity and reliability of an online visual-spatial working memory task for self-reliant administration in school-aged children.

PubMed

Van de Weijer-Bergsma, Eva; Kroesbergen, Evelyn H; Prast, Emilie J; Van Luit, Johannes E H

2015-09-01

Working memory is an important predictor of academic performance, and of math performance in particular. Most working memory tasks depend on one-to-one administration by a testing assistant, which makes the use of such tasks in large-scale studies time-consuming and costly. Therefore, an online, self-reliant visual-spatial working memory task (the Lion game) was developed for primary school children (6-12 years of age). In two studies, the validity and reliability of the Lion game were investigated. The results from Study 1 (n = 442) indicated satisfactory six-week test-retest reliability, excellent internal consistency, and good concurrent and predictive validity. The results from Study 2 (n = 5,059) confirmed the results on the internal consistency and predictive validity of the Lion game. In addition, multilevel analysis revealed that classroom membership influenced Lion game scores. We concluded that the Lion game is a valid and reliable instrument for the online computerized and self-reliant measurement of visual-spatial working memory (i.e., updating).

Eye movements and serial memory for visual-spatial information: does time spent fixating contribute to recall?

PubMed

Saint-Aubin, Jean; Tremblay, Sébastien; Jalbert, Annie

2007-01-01

This research investigated the nature of encoding and its contribution to serial recall for visual-spatial information. In order to do so, we examined the relationship between fixation duration and recall performance. Using the dot task--a series of seven dots spatially distributed on a monitor screen is presented sequentially for immediate recall--performance and eye-tracking data were recorded during the presentation of the to-be-remembered items. When participants were free to move their eyes at their will, both fixation durations and probability of correct recall decreased as a function of serial position. Furthermore, imposing constant durations of fixation across all serial positions had a beneficial impact (though relatively small) on item but not order recall. Great care was taken to isolate the effect of fixation duration from that of presentation duration. Although eye movement at encoding contributes to immediate memory, it is not decisive in shaping serial recall performance. Our results also provide further evidence that the distinction between item and order information, well-established in the verbal domain, extends to visual-spatial information.

Cognitive training and selective attention in the aging brain: an electrophysiological study.

PubMed

O'Brien, Jennifer L; Edwards, Jerri D; Maxfield, Nathan D; Peronto, Carol L; Williams, Victoria A; Lister, Jennifer J

2013-11-01

Age-related deficits in selective attention are hypothesized to result from decrements in inhibition of task-irrelevant information. Speed of processing (SOP) training is an adaptive cognitive intervention designed to enhance processing speed for attention tasks. The effectiveness of SOP training to improve cognitive and everyday functional performance is well documented. However, underlying mechanisms of these training benefits are unknown. Participants completed a visual search task evaluated using event-related potentials (ERPs) before and after 10 weeks of SOP training or no contact. N2pc and P3b components were evaluated to determine SOP training effects on attentional resource allocation and capacity. Selective attention to a target was enhanced after SOP training compared to no training. N2pc and P3b amplitudes increased after training, reflecting attentional allocation and capacity enhancement, consistent with previous studies demonstrating behavioral improvements in selective attention following SOP training. Changes in ERPs related to attention allocation and capacity following SOP training support the idea that training leads to cognitive enhancement. Specifically, we provide electrophysiological evidence that SOP training may be successful in counteracting age-related declines in selective attention. This study provides important evidence of the underlying mechanisms by which SOP training improves cognitive function in older adults. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Information Scent Determines Attention Allocation and Link Selection among Multiple Information Patches on a Webpage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackmon, Marilyn Hughes

2012-01-01

This paper draws from cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience to develop a preliminary similarity-choice theory of how people allocate attention among information patches on webpages while completing search tasks in complex informational websites. Study 1 applied stepwise multiple regression to a large dataset and showed that success rate…

Neuropsychological impairments on the NEPSY-II among children with FASD.

PubMed

Rasmussen, Carmen; Tamana, Sukhpreet; Baugh, Lauren; Andrew, Gail; Tough, Suzanne; Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie

2013-01-01

We examined the pattern of neuropsychological impairments of children with FASD (compared to controls) on NEPSY-II measures of attention and executive functioning, language, memory, visuospatial processing, and social perception. Participants included 32 children with FASD and 30 typically developing control children, ranging in age from 6 to 16 years. Children were tested on the following subtests of the NEPSY-II: Attention and Executive Functioning (animal sorting, auditory attention/response set, and inhibition), Language (comprehension of instructions and speeded naming), Memory (memory for names/delayed memory for names), Visual-Spatial Processing (arrows), and Social Perception (theory of mind). Groups were compared using MANOVA. Children with FASD were impaired relative to controls on the following subtests: animal sorting, response set, inhibition (naming and switching conditions), comprehension of instructions, speeded naming, and memory for names total and delayed, but group differences were not significant on auditory attention, inhibition (inhibition condition), arrows, and theory of mind. Among the FASD group, IQ scores were not correlated with performance on the NEPSY-II subtests, and there were no significant differences between those with and without comorbid ADHD. The NEPSY-II is an effective and useful tool for measuring a variety of neuropsychological impairments among children with FASD. Children with FASD displayed a pattern of results with impairments (relative to controls) on measures of executive functioning (set shifting, concept formation, and inhibition), language, and memory, and relative strengths on measures of basic attention, visual spatial processing, and social perception.

Adolescence, Attention Allocation, and Driving Safety

PubMed Central

Romer, Daniel; Lee, Yi-Ching; McDonald, Catherine C.; Winston, Flaura K.

2014-01-01

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading source of morbidity and mortality in adolescents in the United States and the developed world. Inadequate allocation of attention to the driving task and to driving hazards are important sources of adolescent crashes. We review major explanations for these attention failures with particular focus on the roles that brain immaturity and lack of driving experience play in causing attention problems. The review suggests that the potential for overcoming inexperience and immaturity with training to improve attention to both the driving task and hazards is substantial. Nevertheless, there are large individual differences in both attentional abilities and risky driving tendencies that pose challenges to novice driver policies. Research that can provide evidence-based direction for such policies is urgently needed. PMID:24759442

Extremely selective attention: eye-tracking studies of the dynamic allocation of attention to stimulus features in categorization.

PubMed

Blair, Mark R; Watson, Marcus R; Walshe, R Calen; Maj, Fillip

2009-09-01

Humans have an extremely flexible ability to categorize regularities in their environment, in part because of attentional systems that allow them to focus on important perceptual information. In formal theories of categorization, attention is typically modeled with weights that selectively bias the processing of stimulus features. These theories make differing predictions about the degree of flexibility with which attention can be deployed in response to stimulus properties. Results from 2 eye-tracking studies show that humans can rapidly learn to differently allocate attention to members of different categories. These results provide the first unequivocal demonstration of stimulus-responsive attention in a categorization task. Furthermore, the authors found clear temporal patterns in the shifting of attention within trials that follow from the informativeness of particular stimulus features. These data provide new insights into the attention processes involved in categorization. (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved.

Word Learning and Attention Allocation Based on Word Class and Category Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hupp, Julie M.

2015-01-01

Attention allocation in word learning may vary developmentally based on the novelty of the object. It has been suggested that children differentially learn verbs based on the novelty of the agent, but adults do not because they automatically infer the object's category and thus treat it like a familiar object. The current research examined…

Does Distraction Reduce the Alcohol-Aggression Relation? A Cognitive and Behavioral Test of the Attention-Allocation Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallagher, Kathryn E.; Parrott, Dominic J.

2011-01-01

Objective: This study provided the first direct test of the cognitive underpinnings of the attention-allocation model and attempted to replicate and extend past behavioral findings for this model as an explanation for alcohol-related aggression. Method: A diverse community sample (55% African American) of men (N = 159) between 21 and 35 years of…

Inferior Frontal Cortex Modulation with an Acute Dose of Heroin During Cognitive Control

PubMed Central

Schmidt, André; Walter, Marc; Gerber, Hana; Schmid, Otto; Smieskova, Renata; Bendfeldt, Kerstin; Wiesbeck, Gerhard A; Riecher-Rössler, Anita; Lang, Undine E; Rubia, Katya; McGuire, Philip; Borgwardt, Stefan

2013-01-01

Impairments in inhibitory control and in stimulus-driven attention are hallmarks of drug addiction and are associated with decreased activation in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Although previous studies indicate that the response inhibition function is impaired in abstinent heroin dependents, and that this is mediated by reduced IFG activity, it remains completely unknown whether and how an acute dose of heroin modulates IFG activity during cognitive control in heroin-dependent patients. This study investigates the acute effects of heroin administration on IFG activity during response inhibition and stimulus-driven attention in heroin-dependent patients. Using a cross-over, double-blind, placebo-controlled design, saline and heroin were administered to 26 heroin-dependent patients from stable heroin-assisted treatment, while performing a Go/No–Go event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging task to assess right IFG activity during motor response inhibition, as well as during oddball-driven attention allocation. Relative to saline, heroin significantly reduced right IFG activity during both successful response inhibition and oddball-driven attention allocation, whereas it did not change right IFG activity during response inhibition after correction for the effect of attention allocation. These heroin-induced effects were not related to changes in drug craving, state anxiety, behavioral performance, or co-consumption of psychostimulant drugs. This study demonstrates that heroin administration acutely impairs stimulus-driven attention allocation, as indicated by reduced IFG activity in response to infrequently presented stimuli, and does not specifically modulate IFG activity during response inhibition. PMID:23673865

Visual-spatial abilities relate to mathematics achievement in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure

PubMed Central

Crocker, N.; Riley, E.P.; Mattson, S.N.

2014-01-01

Objective The current study examined the relationship between mathematics and attention, working memory, and visual memory in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and controls. Method Fifty-six children (29 AE, 27 CON) were administered measures of global mathematics achievement (WRAT-3 Arithmetic & WISC-III Written Arithmetic), attention, (WISC-III Digit Span forward and Spatial Span forward), working memory (WISC-III Digit Span backward and Spatial Span backward), and visual memory (CANTAB Spatial Recognition Memory and Pattern Recognition Memory). The contribution of cognitive domains to mathematics achievement was analyzed using linear regression techniques. Attention, working memory and visual memory data were entered together on step 1 followed by group on step 2, and the interaction terms on step 3. Results Model 1 accounted for a significant amount of variance in both mathematics achievement measures, however, model fit improved with the addition of group on step 2. Significant predictors of mathematics achievement were Spatial Span forward and backward and Spatial Recognition Memory. Conclusions These findings suggest that deficits in spatial processing may be related to math impairments seen in FASD. In addition, prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with deficits in mathematics achievement, above and beyond the contribution of general cognitive abilities. PMID:25000323

Visual-spatial abilities relate to mathematics achievement in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure.

PubMed

Crocker, Nicole; Riley, Edward P; Mattson, Sarah N

2015-01-01

The current study examined the relationship between mathematics and attention, working memory, and visual memory in children with heavy prenatal alcohol exposure and controls. Subjects were 56 children (29 AE, 27 CON) who were administered measures of global mathematics achievement (WRAT-3 Arithmetic & WISC-III Written Arithmetic), attention, (WISC-III Digit Span forward and Spatial Span forward), working memory (WISC-III Digit Span backward and Spatial Span backward), and visual memory (CANTAB Spatial Recognition Memory and Pattern Recognition Memory). The contribution of cognitive domains to mathematics achievement was analyzed using linear regression techniques. Attention, working memory, and visual memory data were entered together on Step 1 followed by group on Step 2, and the interaction terms on Step 3. Model 1 accounted for a significant amount of variance in both mathematics achievement measures; however, model fit improved with the addition of group on Step 2. Significant predictors of mathematics achievement were Spatial Span forward and backward and Spatial Recognition Memory. These findings suggest that deficits in spatial processing may be related to math impairments seen in FASD. In addition, prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with deficits in mathematics achievement, above and beyond the contribution of general cognitive abilities. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Attentional Disengagement in Adults with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lense, Miriam D.; Key, Alexandra P.; Dykens, Elisabeth M.

2011-01-01

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a distinctive behavioral and cognitive profile, including widespread problems with attention. However, the specific nature of their attentional difficulties, such as inappropriate attentional allocation and/or poor attentional disengagement abilities, has yet to be…

Reconceptualizing perceptual load as a rate problem: The role of time in the allocation of selective attention.

PubMed

Li, Zhi; Xin, Keyun; Li, Wei; Li, Yanzhe

2018-04-30

In the literature about allocation of selective attention, a widely studied question is when will attention be allocated to information that is clearly irrelevant to the task at hand. The present study, by using convergent evidence, demonstrated that there is a trade-off between quantity of information present in a display and the time allowed to process it. Specifically, whether or not there is interference from irrelevant distractors depends not only on the amount of information present, but also on the amount of time allowed to process that information. When processing time is calibrated to the amount of information present, irrelevant distractors can be selectively ignored successfully. These results suggest that the perceptual load in the load theory of selective attention (i.e., Lavie, 2005) should be thought about as a dynamic rate problem rather than a static capacity limitation. The authors thus propose that rather than conceiving of perceptual load as a quantity of information, they should consider it as a quantity of information per unit of time. In other words, it is the relationship between the quantity of information in the task and the time for processing the information that determines the allocation of selective attention. Thus, the present findings extended load theory, allowing it to explain findings that were previously considered as counter evidence of load theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Looking to Score: The Dissociation of Goal Influence on Eye Movement and Meta-Attentional Allocation in a Complex Dynamic Natural Scene

PubMed Central

Taya, Shuichiro; Windridge, David; Osman, Magda

2012-01-01

Several studies have reported that task instructions influence eye-movement behavior during static image observation. In contrast, during dynamic scene observation we show that while the specificity of the goal of a task influences observers’ beliefs about where they look, the goal does not in turn influence eye-movement patterns. In our study observers watched short video clips of a single tennis match and were asked to make subjective judgments about the allocation of visual attention to the items presented in the clip (e.g., ball, players, court lines, and umpire). However, before attending to the clips, observers were either told to simply watch clips (non-specific goal), or they were told to watch the clips with a view to judging which of the two tennis players was awarded the point (specific goal). The results of subjective reports suggest that observers believed that they allocated their attention more to goal-related items (e.g. court lines) if they performed the goal-specific task. However, we did not find the effect of goal specificity on major eye-movement parameters (i.e., saccadic amplitudes, inter-saccadic intervals, and gaze coherence). We conclude that the specificity of a task goal can alter observer’s beliefs about their attention allocation strategy, but such task-driven meta-attentional modulation does not necessarily correlate with eye-movement behavior. PMID:22768058

The effect of pictorial warnings on cigarette packages on attentional bias of smokers.

PubMed

Loeber, Sabine; Vollstädt-Klein, Sabine; Wilden, Sophia; Schneider, Sven; Rockenbach, Christine; Dinter, Christina; von der Goltz, Christoph; Hermann, Derik; Wagner, Michael; Winterer, Georg; Kiefer, Falk

2011-04-01

Given that previous studies demonstrated that smoking-related cues (like cigarette packages) grab the attention of smokers and thereby contribute to craving and tobacco seeking we investigated how pictorial health warnings presented on cigarette packages affect attention allocation towards cigarette packages. The WHO advises the use of pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages. However, at present no experimental studies are available investigating if pictorial warnings modulate incentive properties of cigarette packages. Fifty-nine tobacco smokers and 55 non-smokers performed a visual dot probe task to assess attention allocation towards cigarette packages with and without health warnings. Smokers were divided a priori in a group of light smokers (<20 cigarettes/day; n=39) and heavy smokers (≥20 cigarettes/day; n=20). Psychometric measures on anxiety and nicotine craving were administered. Light smokers showed an attentional bias towards packages without pictorial warnings while no effects were observed in the other groups. In heavy smokers attention allocation towards pictorial health warnings was associated with an increase of craving and anxiety. The results have a potential public health perspective as pictorial health warnings might be an effective strategy to reduce attentional bias towards cigarette packages of light smokers, while counterproductive effects in heavy smokers warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of Hearing Status and Sign Language Use on Working Memory

PubMed Central

Sarchet, Thomastine; Trani, Alexandra

2016-01-01

Deaf individuals have been found to score lower than hearing individuals across a variety of memory tasks involving both verbal and nonverbal stimuli, particularly those requiring retention of serial order. Deaf individuals who are native signers, meanwhile, have been found to score higher on visual-spatial memory tasks than on verbal-sequential tasks and higher on some visual-spatial tasks than hearing nonsigners. However, hearing status and preferred language modality (signed or spoken) frequently are confounded in such studies. That situation is resolved in the present study by including deaf students who use spoken language and sign language interpreting students (hearing signers) as well as deaf signers and hearing nonsigners. Three complex memory span tasks revealed overall advantages for hearing signers and nonsigners over both deaf signers and deaf nonsigners on 2 tasks involving memory for verbal stimuli (letters). There were no differences among the groups on the task involving visual-spatial stimuli. The results are consistent with and extend recent findings concerning the effects of hearing status and language on memory and are discussed in terms of language modality, hearing status, and cognitive abilities among deaf and hearing individuals. PMID:26755684

Age-Related Changes in Temporal Allocation of Visual Attention: Evidence from the Rapid Serial Visual Presentation (RSVP) Paradigm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Carole; Valdois, Sylviane; Lallier, Marie; Donnadieu, Sophie

2015-01-01

The present study explored the temporal allocation of attention in groups of 8-year-old children, 10-year-old children, and adults performing a rapid serial visual presentation task. In a dual-condition task, participants had to detect a briefly presented target (T2) after identifying an initial target (T1) embedded in a random series of…

Cholinergic Enhancement Increases the Effects of Voluntary Attention but Does Not Affect Involuntary Attention

PubMed Central

Rokem, Ariel; Landau, Ayelet N; Garg, Dave; Prinzmetal, William; Silver, Michael A

2010-01-01

Voluntary visual spatial attention can be allocated in a goal-oriented manner to locations containing behaviorally relevant information. In contrast, involuntary attention is automatically captured by salient events. Allocation of attention is known to be modulated by release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) in cerebral cortex. We used an anti-predictive spatial cueing task to assess the effects of pharmacological enhancement of cholinergic transmission on behavioral measures of voluntary and involuntary attention in healthy human participants. Each trial began with the presentation of a cue in a peripheral location. In 80% of the trials, a target then appeared in a location opposite the cue. In the remaining 20% of trials, the target appeared in the cue location. For trials with short stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between cue and target, involuntary capture of attention resulted in shorter reaction times (RTs) to targets presented at the cue location. For long SOA trials, allocation of voluntary attention resulted in the opposite pattern: RTs were shorter when the target appeared in the expected (opposite) location. Each subject participated in two sessions: one in which the cholinesterase inhibitor donepezil was administered to increase synaptic ACh levels and one in which placebo was administered. Donepezil selectively improved performance (reduced RT) for long SOA trials in which targets appeared in the expected location. Thus, cholinergic enhancement augments the benefits of voluntary attention but does not affect involuntary attention, suggesting that they rely on different neurochemical mechanisms. PMID:20811340

S-ketamine influences strategic allocation of attention but not exogenous capture of attention.

PubMed

Fuchs, Isabella; Ansorge, Ulrich; Huber-Huber, Christoph; Höflich, Anna; Lanzenberger, Rupert

2015-09-01

We investigated whether s-ketamine differentially affects strategic allocation of attention. In Experiment 1, (1) a less visible cue was weakly masked by the onsets of competing placeholders or (2) a better visible cue was not masked because it was presented in isolation. Both types of cue appeared more often opposite of the target (75%) than at target position (25%). With this setup, we tested for strategic attention shifts to the opposite side of the cues and for exogenous attentional capture toward the cue's side in a short cue-target interval, as well as for (reverse) cueing effects in a long cue-target interval after s-ketamine and after placebo treatment in a double-blind within-participant design. We found reduced strategic attention shifts after cues presented without placeholders for the s-ketamine compared to the placebo treatment in the short interval, indicating an early effect on the strategic allocation of attention. No differences between the two treatments were found for exogenous attentional capture by less visible cues, suggesting that s-ketamine does not affect exogenous attentional capture in the presence of competing distractors. Experiment 2 confirmed that the competing onsets of the placeholders prevented the strategic cueing effect. Taken together, the results indicate that s-ketamine affects strategic attentional capture, but not exogenous attentional capture. The findings point to a more prominent role of s-ketamine during top-down controlled forms of attention that require suppression of automatic capture than during automatic capture itself. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Is attention enough? A re-examination of the impact of feature-specific attention allocation on semantic priming effects in the pronunciation task.

PubMed

Becker, Manuel; Klauer, Karl Christoph; Spruyt, Adriaan

2016-02-01

In a series of articles, Spruyt and colleagues have developed the Feature-Specific Attention Allocation framework, stating that the semantic analysis of task-irrelevant stimuli is critically dependent upon dimension-specific attention allocation. In an adversarial collaboration, we replicate one experiment supporting this theory (Spruyt, de Houwer, & Hermans, 2009; Exp. 3), in which semantic priming effects in the pronunciation task were found to be restricted to stimulus dimensions that were task-relevant on induction trials. Two pilot studies showed the capability of our laboratory to detect priming effects in the pronunciation task, but also suggested that the original effect may be difficult to replicate. In this study, we tried to replicate the original experiment while ensuring adequate statistical power. Results show little evidence for dimension-specific priming effects. The present results provide further insight into the malleability of early semantic encoding processes, but also show the need for further research on this topic.

Attention Modulates Spatial Precision in Multiple-Object Tracking.

PubMed

Srivastava, Nisheeth; Vul, Ed

2016-01-01

We present a computational model of multiple-object tracking that makes trial-level predictions about the allocation of visual attention and the effect of this allocation on observers' ability to track multiple objects simultaneously. This model follows the intuition that increased attention to a location increases the spatial resolution of its internal representation. Using a combination of empirical and computational experiments, we demonstrate the existence of a tight coupling between cognitive and perceptual resources in this task: Low-level tracking of objects generates bottom-up predictions of error likelihood, and high-level attention allocation selectively reduces error probabilities in attended locations while increasing it at non-attended locations. Whereas earlier models of multiple-object tracking have predicted the big picture relationship between stimulus complexity and response accuracy, our approach makes accurate predictions of both the macro-scale effect of target number and velocity on tracking difficulty and micro-scale variations in difficulty across individual trials and targets arising from the idiosyncratic within-trial interactions of targets and distractors. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Resource Allocation in British Universities. SRHE Monograph 56.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shattock, Michael, Ed.; Rigby, Gwynneth, Ed.

The ways that British universities allocate their resources are discussed, with attention to different styles, techniques, and decison-making structures. Since the purpose is to describe institutional models of resource allocation, specific universities are not identified by name. After identifying the sources of income and the breakdown of…

A model of human decision making in multiple process monitoring situations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greenstein, J. S.; Rouse, W. B.

1982-01-01

Human decision making in multiple process monitoring situations is considered. It is proposed that human decision making in many multiple process monitoring situations can be modeled in terms of the human's detection of process related events and his allocation of attention among processes once he feels event have occurred. A mathematical model of human event detection and attention allocation performance in multiple process monitoring situations is developed. An assumption made in developing the model is that, in attempting to detect events, the human generates estimates of the probabilities that events have occurred. An elementary pattern recognition technique, discriminant analysis, is used to model the human's generation of these probability estimates. The performance of the model is compared to that of four subjects in a multiple process monitoring situation requiring allocation of attention among processes.

Adolescence, attention allocation, and driving safety.

PubMed

Romer, Daniel; Lee, Yi-Ching; McDonald, Catherine C; Winston, Flaura K

2014-05-01

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading source of morbidity and mortality in adolescents in the United States and the developed world. Inadequate allocation of attention to the driving task and to driving hazards are important sources of adolescent crashes. We review major explanations for these attention failures with particular focus on the roles that brain immaturity and lack of driving experience play in causing attention problems. The review suggests that the potential for overcoming inexperience and immaturity with training to improve attention to both the driving task and hazards is substantial. Nevertheless, there are large individual differences in both attentional abilities and risky driving tendencies that pose challenges to novice driver policies. Research that can provide evidence-based direction for such policies is urgently needed. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An integrated measure of display clutter based on feature content, user knowledge and attention allocation factors.

PubMed

Pankok, Carl; Kaber, David B

2018-05-01

Existing measures of display clutter in the literature generally exhibit weak correlations with task performance, which limits their utility in safety-critical domains. A literature review led to formulation of an integrated display data- and user knowledge-driven measure of display clutter. A driving simulation experiment was conducted in which participants were asked to search 'high' and 'low' clutter displays for navigation information. Data-driven measures and subjective perceptions of clutter were collected along with patterns of visual attention allocation and driving performance responses during time periods in which participants searched the navigation display for information. The new integrated measure was more strongly correlated with driving performance than other, previously developed measures of clutter, particularly in the case of low-clutter displays. Integrating display data and user knowledge factors with patterns of visual attention allocation shows promise for measuring display clutter and correlation with task performance, particularly for low-clutter displays. Practitioner Summary: A novel measure of display clutter was formulated, accounting for display data content, user knowledge states and patterns of visual attention allocation. The measure was evaluated in terms of correlations with driver performance in a safety-critical driving simulation study. The measure exhibited stronger correlations with task performance than previously defined measures.

Do enhanced states exist? Boosting cognitive capacities through an action video-game.

PubMed

Kozhevnikov, Maria; Li, Yahui; Wong, Sabrina; Obana, Takashi; Amihai, Ido

2018-04-01

This research reports the existence of enhanced cognitive states in which dramatic temporary improvements in temporal and spatial aspects of attention were exhibited by participants who played (but not by those who merely observed) action video-games meeting certain criteria. Specifically, Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrate that the attentional improvements were exhibited only by participants whose skills matched the difficulty level of the video game. Experiment 2 showed that arousal (as reflected by the reduction in parasympathetic activity and increase in sympathetic activity) is a critical physiological condition for enhanced cognitive states and corresponding attentional enhancements. Experiment 3 showed that the cognitive enhancements were transient, and were no longer observed after 30 min of rest following video-gaming. Moreover, the results suggest that the enhancements were specific to tasks requiring visual-spatial focused attention, but not distribution of spatial attention as has been reported to improve significantly and durably as a result of long-term video-game playing. Overall, the results suggest that the observed enhancements cannot be simply due to the activity of video-gaming per se, but might rather represent an enhanced cognitive state resulting from specific conditions (heightened arousal in combination with active engagement and optimal challenge), resonant with what has been described in previous phenomenological literature as "flow" (Csikszentmihalyi, 1975) or "peak experiences" (Maslov, 1962). The findings provide empirical evidence for the existence of the enhanced cognitive states and suggest possibilities for consciously accessing latent resources of our brain to temporarily boost our cognitive capacities upon demand. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emotional conditioning to masked stimuli and modulation of visuospatial attention.

PubMed

Beaver, John D; Mogg, Karin; Bradley, Brendan P

2005-03-01

Two studies investigated the effects of conditioning to masked stimuli on visuospatial attention. During the conditioning phase, masked snakes and spiders were paired with a burst of white noise, or paired with an innocuous tone, in the conditioned stimulus (CS)+ and CS- conditions, respectively. Attentional allocation to the CSs was then assessed with a visual probe task, in which the CSs were presented unmasked (Experiment 1) or both unmasked and masked (Experiment 2), together with fear-irrelevant control stimuli (flowers and mushrooms). In Experiment 1, participants preferentially allocated attention to CS+ relative to control stimuli. Experiment 2 suggested that this attentional bias depended on the perceived aversiveness of the unconditioned stimulus and did not require conscious recognition of the CSs during both acquisition and expression. Copyright 2005 APA, all rights reserved.

Effects of perceived school well-being and negative emotionality on students' attentional bias for academic stressors.

PubMed

Scrimin, Sara; Moscardino, Ughetta; Altoè, Gianmarco; Mason, Lucia

2016-06-01

Previous research indicates that children can display different attention allocation patterns in response to threat. However, data are lacking on the possible existence of an attentional bias in response to academic stressors, and whether variables related to school well-being (SWB) and students' individual characteristics may influence such attentional patterns. We aimed to investigate whether students show an attentional bias for school-related stressors. We sought to identify groups of students who differ in their perceived SWB, and to test whether they display different attention allocation patterns. We also examined whether negative emotionality moderates the expected association between students' SWB and attentional bias. Eighth-grade students completed a dot-probe detection task to register attentional patterns towards or away from an academic threatening word. SWB in terms of school anxiety, school-based stress, and perceived class climate was also assessed via self-reports. In addition, participants reported on their negative emotionality. The results indicated that students showed an attentional bias towards words describing academic stressors. Cluster analyses allowed the identification of two groups of students with high versus low SWB. Regression analysis indicated that those with low SWB were more likely to show a greater bias and that negative emotionality moderated this relationship. Specifically, within the context of low SWB, students with high negative emotionality were more prone to biased attention towards school-related stressors compared with students with low negative emotionality. The present data indicate a perceptual bias for the detection of academic threats. Within the school practice, teachers should promote SWB and devote specific attention to students with high negative emotionality to reduce a biased allocation of attention in response to school-related stressors. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Toward a Multilevel Perspective on the Allocation of Educational Resources.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Monk, David H.

1981-01-01

The importance of the following is demonstrated: (1) striking a balance between the attention given to resource allocation practices at macro compared to microlevels of decision making; and (2) learning more about how resource allocation decisions made at one level affect practices at other levels of the educational system. (Author/GK)

Sex differences in verbal and visual-spatial tasks under different hemispheric visual-field presentation conditions.

PubMed

Boyle, Gregory J; Neumann, David L; Furedy, John J; Westbury, H Rae

2010-04-01

This paper reports sex differences in cognitive task performance that emerged when 39 Australian university undergraduates (19 men, 20 women) were asked to solve verbal (lexical) and visual-spatial cognitive matching tasks which varied in difficulty and visual field of presentation. Sex significantly interacted with task type, task difficulty, laterality, and changes in performance across trials. The results revealed that the significant individual-differences' variable of sex does not always emerge as a significant main effect, but instead in terms of significant interactions with other variables manipulated experimentally. Our results show that sex differences must be taken into account when conducting experiments into human cognitive-task performance.

Flexible attention deployment in threatening contexts: an instructed fear conditioning study.

PubMed

Shechner, Tomer; Pelc, Tatiana; Pine, Daniel S; Fox, Nathan A; Bar-Haim, Yair

2012-10-01

Factors leading humans to shift attention away from danger cues remain poorly understood. Two laboratory experiments reported here show that context interacts with learning experiences to shape attention avoidance of mild danger cues. The first experiment exposed 18 participants to contextual threat of electric shock. Attention allocation to mild danger cues was then assessed with the dot-probe task. Results showed that contextual threat caused subjects to avert attention from danger cues. In the second experiment, 36 participants were conditioned to the same contextual threat used in Experiment 1. These subjects then were randomly assigned to either an experimental group, trained to shift attention toward danger cues, or a placebo group exposed to the same stimuli without the training component. As in Experiment 1, contextual threat again caused attention allocation away from danger in the control group. However, this did not occur in the experimental group. These experiments show that acute contextual threat and learning experiences interact to shape the deployment of attention away from danger cues.

But what about the Empress of Racnoss? The allocation of attention to spiders and Doctor Who in a visual search task is predicted by fear and expertise.

PubMed

Purkis, Helena M; Lester, Kathryn J; Field, Andy P

2011-12-01

If there is a spider in the room, then the spider phobic in your group is most likely to point it out to you. This phenomenon is believed to arise because our attentional systems are hardwired to attend to threat in our environment, and, to a spider phobic, spiders are threatening. However, an alternative explanation is simply that attention is quickly drawn to the stimulus of most personal relevance in the environment. Our research examined whether positive stimuli with no biological or evolutionary relevance could be allocated preferential attention. We compared attention to pictures of spiders with pictures from the TV program Doctor Who, for people who varied in both their love of Doctor Who and their fear of spiders. We found a double dissociation: interference from spider and Doctor-Who-related images in a visual search task was predicted by spider fear and Doctor Who expertise, respectively. As such, allocation of attention reflected the personal relevance of the images rather than their threat content. The attentional system believed to have a causal role in anxiety disorders is therefore likely to be a general system that responds not to threat but to stimulus relevance; hence, nonevolutionary images, such as those from Doctor Who, captured attention as quickly as fear-relevant spider images. Where this leaves the Empress of Racnoss, we are unsure. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Learning to multitask: effects of video game practice on electrophysiological indices of attention and resource allocation.

PubMed

Maclin, Edward L; Mathewson, Kyle E; Low, Kathy A; Boot, Walter R; Kramer, Arthur F; Fabiani, Monica; Gratton, Gabriele

2011-09-01

Changes in attention allocation with complex task learning reflect processing automatization and more efficient control. We studied these changes using ERP and EEG spectral analyses in subjects playing Space Fortress, a complex video game comprising standard cognitive task components. We hypothesized that training would free up attentional resources for a secondary auditory oddball task. Both P3 and delta EEG showed a processing trade-off between game and oddball tasks, but only some game events showed reduced attention requirements with practice. Training magnified a transient increase in alpha power following both primary and secondary task events. This contrasted with alpha suppression observed when the oddball task was performed alone, suggesting that alpha may be related to attention switching. Hence, P3 and EEG spectral data are differentially sensitive to changes in attentional processing occurring with complex task training. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The development of attention skills in action video game players

PubMed Central

Dye, M.W.G.; Green, C.S.; Bavelier, D.

2009-01-01

Previous research suggests that action video game play improves attentional resources, allowing gamers to better allocate their attention across both space and time. In order to further characterize the plastic changes resulting from playing these video games, we administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT) to action game players and non-playing controls aged between 7 and 22 years. By employing a mixture of cues and flankers, the ANT provides measures of how well attention is allocated to targets as a function of alerting and orienting cues, and to what extent observers are able to filter out the influence of task irrelevant information flanking those targets. The data suggest that action video game players of all ages have enhanced attentional skills that allow them to make faster correct responses to targets, and leaves additional processing resources that spill over to process distractors flanking the targets. PMID:19428410

Attentional enhancement during multiple-object tracking.

PubMed

Drew, Trafton; McCollough, Andrew W; Horowitz, Todd S; Vogel, Edward K

2009-04-01

What is the role of attention in multiple-object tracking? Does attention enhance target representations, suppress distractor representations, or both? It is difficult to ask this question in a purely behavioral paradigm without altering the very attentional allocation one is trying to measure. In the present study, we used event-related potentials to examine the early visual evoked responses to task-irrelevant probes without requiring an additional detection task. Subjects tracked two targets among four moving distractors and four stationary distractors. Brief probes were flashed on targets, moving distractors, stationary distractors, or empty space. We obtained a significant enhancement of the visually evoked P1 and N1 components (approximately 100-150 msec) for probes on targets, relative to distractors. Furthermore, good trackers showed larger differences between target and distractor probes than did poor trackers. These results provide evidence of early attentional enhancement of tracked target items and also provide a novel approach to measuring attentional allocation during tracking.

Hold it! Memory affects attentional dwell time.

PubMed

Parks, Emily L; Hopfinger, Joseph B

2008-12-01

The allocation of attention, including the initial orienting and the subsequent dwell time, is affected by several bottom-up and top-down factors. How item memory affects these processes, however, remains unclear. Here, we investigated whether item memory affects attentional dwell time by using a modified version of the attentional blink (AB) paradigm. Across four experiments, our results revealed that the AB was significantly affected by memory status (novel vs. old), but critically, this effect depended on the ongoing memory context. Specifically, items that were unique in terms of memory status demanded more resources, as measured by a protracted AB. The present findings suggest that a more comprehensive understanding of memory's effects on attention can be obtained by accounting for an item's memorial context, as well as its individual item memory strength. Our results provide new evidence that item memory and memory context play a significant role in the temporal allocation of attention.

Tracking the allocation of attention using human pupillary oscillations

PubMed Central

Naber, Marnix; Alvarez, George A.; Nakayama, Ken

2013-01-01

The muscles that control the pupil are richly innervated by the autonomic nervous system. While there are central pathways that drive pupil dilations in relation to arousal, there is no anatomical evidence that cortical centers involved with visual selective attention innervate the pupil. In this study, we show that such connections must exist. Specifically, we demonstrate a novel Pupil Frequency Tagging (PFT) method, where oscillatory changes in stimulus brightness over time are mirrored by pupil constrictions and dilations. We find that the luminance–induced pupil oscillations are enhanced when covert attention is directed to the flicker stimulus and when targets are correctly detected in an attentional tracking task. These results suggest that the amplitudes of pupil responses closely follow the allocation of focal visual attention and the encoding of stimuli. PFT provides a new opportunity to study top–down visual attention itself as well as identifying the pathways and mechanisms that support this unexpected phenomenon. PMID:24368904

Unconscious semantic activation depends on feature-specific attention allocation.

PubMed

Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan; Everaert, Tom; Hermans, Dirk

2012-01-01

We examined whether semantic activation by subliminally presented stimuli is dependent upon the extent to which participants assign attention to specific semantic stimulus features and stimulus dimensions. Participants pronounced visible target words that were preceded by briefly presented, masked prime words. Both affective and non-affective semantic congruence of the prime-target pairs were manipulated under conditions that either promoted selective attention for affective stimulus information or selective attention for non-affective semantic stimulus information. In line with our predictions, results showed that affective congruence had a clear impact on word pronunciation latencies only if participants were encouraged to assign attention to the affective stimulus dimension. In contrast, non-affective semantic relatedness of the prime-target pairs produced no priming at all. Our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that unconscious activation of (affective) semantic information is modulated by feature-specific attention allocation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Giving Eyesight to the Blind: Towards Attention-Aware AIED

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Mello, Sidney K.

2016-01-01

There is an inextricable link between attention and learning, yet AIED systems in 2015 are largely blind to learners' attentional states. We argue that next-generation AIED systems should have the ability to monitor and dynamically (re)direct attention in order to optimize allocation of sparse attentional resources. We present some initial ideas…

Neuropsychological profiles of children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Stadskleiv, Kristine; Jahnsen, Reidun; Andersen, Guro L; von Tetzchner, Stephen

2018-02-01

To explore factors contributing to variability in cognitive functioning in children with cerebral palsy (CP). A geographical cohort of 70 children with CP was assessed with tests of language comprehension, visual-spatial reasoning, attention, working memory, memory, and executive functioning. Mean age was 9;9 years (range 5;1-17;7), 54.3% were girls, and 50.0% had hemiplegic, 25.7% diplegic, 12.9% quadriplegic, and 11.4% dyskinetic CP. For the participants with severe motor impairments, assessments were adapted for gaze pointing. A cognitive quotient (CQ) was computed. Mean CQ was 78.5 (range 19-123). Gross motor functioning, epilepsy, and type of brain injury explained 35.5% of the variance in CQ (F = 10.643, p = .000). Twenty-four percent had an intellectual disability, most of them were children with quadriplegic CP. Verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning scores did only differ for the 21% with an uneven profile, of whom two-thirds had challenges with perceptual reasoning.

Sleep Disorders as a Risk to Language Learning and Use.

PubMed

McGregor, Karla K; Alper, Rebecca M

2015-05-01

Are people with sleep disorders at higher risk for language learning deficits than healthy sleepers? Scoping Review. PubMed, Google Scholar, Trip Database, ClinicalTrials.gov. sleep disorders AND language AND learning; sleep disorders language learning -deprivation -epilepsy; sleep disorders AND verbal learning. 36. Children and adults with sleep disorders were at a higher risk for language problems than healthy sleepers. The language problems typically co-occurred with problems of attention and executive function (in children and adults), behavior (in children), and visual-spatial processing (in adults). Effects were typically small. Language problems seldom rose to a level of clinical concern but there were exceptions involving phonological deficits in children with sleep-disordered breathing and verbal memory deficits among adults with sleep-disordered breathing or idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Case history interviews should include questions about limited sleep, poor-quality sleep, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Medical referrals for clients with suspected sleep disorders are prudent.

Diagnostic efficiency of an ability-focused battery.

PubMed

Miller, Justin B; Fichtenberg, Norman L; Millis, Scott R

2010-05-01

An ability-focused battery (AFB) is a selected group of well-validated neuropsychological measures that assess the conventional range of cognitive domains. This study examined the diagnostic efficiency of an AFB for use in clinical decision making with a mixed sample composed of individuals with neurological brain dysfunction and individuals referred for cognitive assessment without evidence of neurological disorders. Using logistic regression analyses and ROC curve analysis, a five-domain model composed of attention, processing speed, visual-spatial reasoning, language/verbal reasoning, and memory domain scores was fitted that had an AUC of.89 (95% CI =.84-.95). A more parsimonious two-domain model using processing speed and memory was also fitted that had an AUC of.90 (95% confidence interval =.84-.95). A model composed of a global ability score calculated from the mean of the individual domain scores was also fitted with an AUC of.88 (95% CI =.82-.94).

Attentional biases to threat in social anxiety disorder: time to focus our attention elsewhere?

PubMed

Wermes, Richard; Lincoln, Tania M; Helbig-Lang, Sylvia

2018-06-07

Cognitive models propose that attentional biases to threat contribute to the maintenance of social anxiety disorder (SAD). However, the specific characteristics of such biases are still object to debate. The current study aimed to disentangle effects of trait and state social anxiety on attention allocation towards social stimuli. Participants with SAD (n = 67) and healthy controls (n = 62) completed three visual search tasks while their eye movements were recorded. Half of the participants in each group were randomly assigned to a state anxiety induction. Contrary to our predictions, neither trait nor state social anxiety was associated with a facilitated attention to or a delayed disengagement from threat. However, participants with SAD did show reduced fixation durations for threatening stimuli, indicating an avoidance of threat. Induction of state anxiety led to an increased distractibility by threat. We suggest that attention allocation in SAD is characterized by an avoidant rather than a vigilant attentional bias. Accordingly, our results contradict previous results that associate SAD with facilitated attention to threat and existing approaches to modify attentional biases, that aim to decrease attention towards threatening stimuli.

Mathematical skills in 3- and 5-year-olds with spina bifida and their typically developing peers: a longitudinal approach.

PubMed

Barnes, Marcia A; Stubbs, Allison; Raghubar, Kimberly P; Agostino, Alba; Taylor, Heather; Landry, Susan; Fletcher, Jack M; Smith-Chant, Brenda

2011-05-01

Preschoolers with spina bifida (SB) were compared to typically developing (TD) children on tasks tapping mathematical knowledge at 36 months (n = 102) and 60 months of age (n = 98). The group with SB had difficulty compared to TD peers on all mathematical tasks except for transformation on quantities in the subitizable range. At 36 months, vocabulary knowledge, visual-spatial, and fine motor abilities predicted achievement on a measure of informal math knowledge in both groups. At 60 months of age, phonological awareness, visual-spatial ability, and fine motor skill were uniquely and differentially related to counting knowledge, oral counting, object-based arithmetic skills, and quantitative concepts. Importantly, the patterns of association between these predictors and mathematical performance were similar across the groups. A novel finding is that fine motor skill uniquely predicted object-based arithmetic abilities in both groups, suggesting developmental continuity in the neurocognitive correlates of early object-based and later symbolic arithmetic problem solving. Models combining 36-month mathematical ability and these language-based, visual-spatial, and fine motor abilities at 60 months accounted for considerable variance on 60-month informal mathematical outcomes. Results are discussed with reference to models of mathematical development and early identification of risk in preschoolers with neurodevelopmental disorder.

Attentional Disengagement in Adults with Williams syndrome

PubMed Central

Lense, Miriam D.; Key, Alexandra P.; Dykens, Elisabeth M.

2011-01-01

Williams syndrome (WS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a distinctive behavioral and cognitive profile, including widespread problems with attention. However, the specific nature of their attentional difficulties, such as inappropriate attentional allocation and/or poor attentional disengagement abilities, has yet to be elucidated. Furthermore, it is unknown if there is an underlying difficulty with the temporal dynamics of attention in WS or if their attentional difficulties are task-dependent, because previous studies have examined attention in established areas of deficit and atypicality (specifically, visuospatial and face processing). In this study, we examined attentional processing in 14 adults with WS (20-59 years) and 17 typically developing controls (19-39 years) using an attentional blink (AB) paradigm. The AB is the decreased ability to detect a second target when it is presented in close proximity to an initial target. Overall, adults with WS had an AB that was prolonged in duration, but no different in magnitude, compared with typically developing control participants. AB performance was not explained by IQ, working memory, or processing speed in either group. Thus, results suggest that the attention problems in WS are primarily due to general attentional disengagement difficulties rather than inappropriate attentional allocation. PMID:21885176

Time pressure and attention allocation effect on upper limb motion steadiness.

PubMed

Liu, Sicong; Eklund, Robert C; Tenenbaum, Gershon

2015-01-01

Following ironic process theory (IPT), the authors aimed at investigating how attentional allocation affects participants' upper limb motion steadiness under low and high levels of mental load. A secondary purpose was to examine the validity of skin conductance level in measuring perception of pressure. The study consisted of 1 within-participant factor (i.e., phase: baseline, test) and 4 between-participant factors (i.e., gender: male, female; mental load: fake time constraints, no time constraints; attention: positive, suppressive; order: baseline → → → test, test → → baseline). Eighty college students (40 men and 40 women, Mage = 20.20 years, SD(age) = 1.52 years) participated in the study. Gender-stratified random assignment was employed in a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 mixed experimental design. The findings generally support IPT but its predictions on motor performance under mental load may not be entirely accurate. Unlike men, women's performance was not susceptible to manipulations of mental load and attention allocation. The validity of skin conductance readings as an index of pressure perception was called into question.

Working memory subsystems and task complexity in young boys with Fragile X syndrome.

PubMed

Baker, S; Hooper, S; Skinner, M; Hatton, D; Schaaf, J; Ornstein, P; Bailey, D

2011-01-01

Working memory problems have been targeted as core deficits in individuals with Fragile X syndrome (FXS); however, there have been few studies that have examined working memory in young boys with FXS, and even fewer studies that have studied the working memory performance of young boys with FXS across different degrees of complexity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the phonological loop and visual-spatial working memory in young boys with FXS, in comparison to mental age-matched typical boys, and to examine the impact of complexity of the working memory tasks on performance. The performance of young boys (7 to 13-years-old) with FXS (n = 40) was compared with that of mental age and race matched typically developing boys (n = 40) on measures designed to test the phonological loop and the visuospatial sketchpad across low, moderate and high degrees of complexity. Multivariate analyses were used to examine group differences across the specific working memory systems and degrees of complexity. Results suggested that boys with FXS showed deficits in phonological loop and visual-spatial working memory tasks when compared with typically developing mental age-matched boys. For the boys with FXS, the phonological loop was significantly lower than the visual-spatial sketchpad; however, there was no significant difference in performance across the low, moderate and high degrees of complexity in the working memory tasks. Reverse tasks from both the phonological loop and visual-spatial sketchpad appeared to be the most challenging for both groups, but particularly for the boys with FXS. These findings implicate a generalised deficit in working memory in young boys with FXS, with a specific disproportionate impairment in the phonological loop. Given the lack of differentiation on the low versus high complexity tasks, simple span tasks may provide an adequate estimate of working memory until greater involvement of the central executive is achieved. © 2010 The Authors. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Meditation-induced states predict attentional control over time.

PubMed

Colzato, Lorenza S; Sellaro, Roberta; Samara, Iliana; Baas, Matthijs; Hommel, Bernhard

2015-12-01

Meditation is becoming an increasingly popular topic for scientific research and various effects of extensive meditation practice (ranging from weeks to several years) on cognitive processes have been demonstrated. Here we show that extensive practice may not be necessary to achieve those effects. Healthy adult non-meditators underwent a brief single session of either focused attention meditation (FAM), which is assumed to increase top-down control, or open monitoring meditation (OMM), which is assumed to weaken top-down control, before performing an Attentional Blink (AB) task - which assesses the efficiency of allocating attention over time. The size of the AB was considerably smaller after OMM than after FAM, which suggests that engaging in meditation immediately creates a cognitive-control state that has a specific impact on how people allocate their attention over time. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Memory-guided attention in the anterior thalamus.

PubMed

Leszczyński, Marcin; Staudigl, Tobias

2016-07-01

The anterior thalamus is densely connected with both the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. It is known to play a role in learning and episodic memory. Given its connectivity profile with the prefrontal cortex, it may also be expected to contribute to executive functions. Recent studies in both rodents and humans add to our understanding of anterior thalamic function, suggesting that it is a key region for allocating attention. We discuss the convergence between studies in rodents and humans, both of which imply that the anterior thalamus may play a key role in memory-guided attention. We suggest that efficient allocation of attention to memory representations requires interaction between the memory-related hippocampal and the attention related fronto-parietal networks. We further propose that the anterior thalamus is a hub that connects and modulates both systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived state of self during motion can differentially modulate numerical magnitude allocation.

PubMed

Arshad, Q; Nigmatullina, Y; Roberts, R E; Goga, U; Pikovsky, M; Khan, S; Lobo, R; Flury, A-S; Pettorossi, V E; Cohen-Kadosh, R; Malhotra, P A; Bronstein, A M

2016-09-01

Although a direct relationship between numerical allocation and spatial attention has been proposed, recent research suggests that these processes are not directly coupled. In keeping with this, spatial attention shifts induced either via visual or vestibular motion can modulate numerical allocation in some circumstances but not in others. In addition to shifting spatial attention, visual or vestibular motion paradigms also (i) elicit compensatory eye movements which themselves can influence numerical processing and (ii) alter the perceptual state of 'self', inducing changes in bodily self-consciousness impacting upon cognitive mechanisms. Thus, the precise mechanism by which motion modulates numerical allocation remains unknown. We sought to investigate the influence that different perceptual experiences of motion have upon numerical magnitude allocation while controlling for both eye movements and task-related effects. We first used optokinetic visual motion stimulation (OKS) to elicit the perceptual experience of either 'visual world' or 'self'-motion during which eye movements were identical. In a second experiment, we used a vestibular protocol examining the effects of perceived and subliminal angular rotations in darkness, which also provoked identical eye movements. We observed that during the perceptual experience of 'visual world' motion, rightward OKS-biased judgments towards smaller numbers, whereas leftward OKS-biased judgments towards larger numbers. During the perceptual experience of 'self-motion', judgments were biased towards larger numbers irrespective of the OKS direction. Contrastingly, vestibular motion perception was found not to modulate numerical magnitude allocation, nor was there any differential modulation when comparing 'perceived' vs. 'subliminal' rotations. We provide a novel demonstration that numerical magnitude allocation can be differentially modulated by the perceptual state of self during visual but not vestibular mediated motion. © 2016 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Motivationally Significant Stimuli Show Visual Prior Entry: Evidence for Attentional Capture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Greg L.; Anderson, Adam A. K.; Pratt, Jay

2009-01-01

Previous studies that have found attentional capture effects for stimuli of motivational significance do not directly measure initial attentional deployment, leaving it unclear to what extent these items produce attentional capture. Visual prior entry, as measured by temporal order judgments (TOJs), rests on the premise that allocated attention…

Divided Attention Abilities in Young and Old Adults.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Somberg, Benjamin L.; Salthouse, Timothy A.

1982-01-01

Two experiments on divided attention and adult aging are reported that take into account age differences in single-task performance and that measure divided attention independently of resource allocation strategies. No significant age difference in divided attention ability independent of single-task performance level was found in either…

The Development of Attention Skills in Action Video Game Players

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dye, M. W. G.; Green, C. S.; Bavelier, D.

2009-01-01

Previous research suggests that action video game play improves attentional resources, allowing gamers to better allocate their attention across both space and time. In order to further characterize the plastic changes resulting from playing these video games, we administered the Attentional Network Test (ANT) to action game players and…

Cognition-Action Trade-Offs Reflect Organization of Attention in Infancy.

PubMed

Berger, Sarah E; Harbourne, Regina T; Horger, Melissa N

2018-01-01

This chapter discusses what cognition-action trade-offs in infancy reveal about the organization and developmental trajectory of attention. We focus on internal attention because this aspect is most relevant to the immediate concerns of infancy, such as fluctuating levels of expertise, balancing multiple taxing skills simultaneously, learning how to control attention under variable conditions, and coordinating distinct psychological domains. Cognition-action trade-offs observed across the life span include perseveration during skill emergence, errors and inefficient strategies during decision making, and the allocation of resources when attention is taxed. An embodied cognitive-load account interprets these behavioral patterns as a result of limited attentional resources allocated across simultaneous, taxing task demands. For populations where motor errors could be costly, like infants and the elderly, attention is typically devoted to motor demands with errors occurring in the cognitive domain. In contrast, healthy young adults tend to preserve their cognitive performance by modifying their actions. © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Salivary a-Amylase Reflects Change in Attentional Demands during Postural Control: Comparison with Probe Reaction Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akizuki, Kazunori; Ohashi, Yukari

2014-01-01

Purpose: The influence of attention on postural control and the relationship between attention and falling has been reported in previous studies. Although a dual-task procedure is commonly used to measure attentional demand, such procedures are affected by allocation policy, which is a mental strategy to divide attention between simultaneous…

Isolating Exogenous and Endogenous Modes of Temporal Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Michael A.; Klein, Raymond M.

2013-01-01

The differential allocation of information processing resources over time, here termed "temporal attention," may be achieved by relatively automatic "exogenous" or controlled "endogenous" mechanisms. Over 100 years of research has confounded these theoretically distinct dimensions of temporal attention. The current…

Atypical resource allocation may contribute to many aspects of autism

PubMed Central

Goldknopf, Emily J.

2013-01-01

Based on a review of the literature and on reports by people with autism, this paper suggests that atypical resource allocation is a factor that contributes to many aspects of autism spectrum conditions, including difficulties with language and social cognition, atypical sensory and attentional experiences, executive and motor challenges, and perceptual and conceptual strengths and weaknesses. Drawing upon resource theoretical approaches that suggest that perception, cognition, and action draw upon multiple pools of resources, the approach hypothesizes that compared with resources in typical cognition, resources in autism are narrowed or reduced, especially in people with strong sensory symptoms. In narrowed attention, resources are restricted to smaller areas and to fewer modalities, stages of processing, and cognitive processes than in typical cognition; narrowed resources may be more intense than in typical cognition. In reduced attentional capacity, overall resources are reduced; resources may be restricted to fewer modalities, stages of processing, and cognitive processes than in typical cognition, or the amount of resources allocated to each area or process may be reduced. Possible neural bases of the hypothesized atypical resource allocation, relations to other approaches, limitations, and tests of the hypotheses are discussed. PMID:24421760

Differences in attentional strategies by novice and experienced operating theatre scrub nurses.

PubMed

Koh, Ranieri Y I; Park, Taezoon; Wickens, Christopher D; Ong, Lay Teng; Chia, Soon Noi

2011-09-01

This study investigated the effect of nursing experience on attention allocation and task performance during surgery. The prevention of cases of retained foreign bodies after surgery typically depends on scrub nurses, who are responsible for performing multiple tasks that impose heavy demands on the nurses' cognitive resources. However, the relationship between the level of experiences and attention allocation strategies has not been extensively studied. Eye movement data were collected from 10 novice and 10 experienced scrub nurses in the operating theater for caesarean section surgeries. Visual scanning data, analyzed by dividing the workstation into four main areas and the surgery into four stages, were compared to the optimum expected value estimated by SEEV (Salience, Effort, Expectancy, and Value) model. Both experienced and novice nurses showed significant correlations to the optimal percentage dwell time values, and significant differences were found in attention allocation optimality between experienced and novice nurses, with experienced nurses adhering significantly more to the optimal in the stages of high workload. Experienced nurses spent less time on the final count and encountered fewer interruptions during the count than novices indicating better performance in task management, whereas novice nurses switched attention between areas of interest more than experienced nurses. The results provide empirical evidence of a relationship between the application of optimal visual attention management strategies and performance, opening up possibilities to the development of visual attention and interruption training for better performance. (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

Like father, like son: periventricular nodular heterotopia and nonverbal learning disorder.

PubMed

McCann, Marcia V; Pongonis, Stephen J; Golomb, Meredith R; Edwards-Brown, Mary; Christensen, Celanie K; Sokol, Deborah K

2008-08-01

Periventricular nodular heterotopia is a common malformation of cortical development in which the migration of developing neurons destined for the cerebral cortex is abbreviated. Bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia is most commonly an X-linked disorder that involves mutations in the filamin A (FLNA) gene, but an autosomal recessive form and sporadic forms have been identified. To our knowledge, autosomal dominant transmission of isolated periventricular nodular heterotopia has not been reported. Periventricular nodular heterotopia has a heterogeneous phenotype, associated commonly with seizure disorder, and more recently with reading deficits and visual-spatial deficits in some patients. We present a father and son with bilateral periventricular nodular heterotopia and similar visual-spatial learning deficits, consistent with nonverbal learning disability.

Structural Organization of the Corpus Callosum Predicts Attentional Shifts after Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation.

PubMed

Chechlacz, Magdalena; Humphreys, Glyn W; Sotiropoulos, Stamatios N; Kennard, Christopher; Cazzoli, Dario

2015-11-18

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied over the right posterior parietal cortex (PPC) in healthy participants has been shown to trigger a significant rightward shift in the spatial allocation of visual attention, temporarily mimicking spatial deficits observed in neglect. In contrast, rTMS applied over the left PPC triggers a weaker or null attentional shift. However, large interindividual differences in responses to rTMS have been reported. Studies measuring changes in brain activation suggest that the effects of rTMS may depend on both interhemispheric and intrahemispheric interactions between cortical loci controlling visual attention. Here, we investigated whether variability in the structural organization of human white matter pathways subserving visual attention, as assessed by diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and tractography, could explain interindividual differences in the effects of rTMS. Most participants showed a rightward shift in the allocation of spatial attention after rTMS over the right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), but the size of this effect varied largely across participants. Conversely, rTMS over the left IPS resulted in strikingly opposed individual responses, with some participants responding with rightward and some with leftward attentional shifts. We demonstrate that microstructural and macrostructural variability within the corpus callosum, consistent with differential effects on cross-hemispheric interactions, predicts both the extent and the direction of the response to rTMS. Together, our findings suggest that the corpus callosum may have a dual inhibitory and excitatory function in maintaining the interhemispheric dynamics that underlie the allocation of spatial attention. The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) controls allocation of attention across left versus right visual fields. Damage to this area results in neglect, characterized by a lack of spatial awareness of the side of space contralateral to the brain injury. Transcranial magnetic stimulation over the PPC is used to study cognitive mechanisms of spatial attention and to examine the potential of this technique to treat neglect. However, large individual differences in behavioral responses to stimulation have been reported. We demonstrate that the variability in the structural organization of the corpus callosum accounts for these differences. Our findings suggest novel dual mechanism of the corpus callosum function in spatial attention and have broader implications for the use of stimulation in neglect rehabilitation. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/3515353-16$15.00/0.

Electrocortical consequences of image processing: The influence of working memory load and worry.

PubMed

White, Evan J; Grant, DeMond M

2017-03-30

Research suggests that worry precludes emotional processing as well as biases attentional processes. Although there is burgeoning evidence for the relationship between executive functioning and worry, more research in this area is needed. A recent theory suggests one mechanism for the negative effects of worry on neural indicators of attention may be working memory load, however few studies have examined this directly. The goal of the current study was to document the influence of both visual and verbal working memory load and worry on attention allocation during processing of emotional images in a cued image paradigm. It was hypothesized that working memory load will decrease attention allocation during processing of emotional images. This was tested among 38 participants using a modified S1-S2 paradigm. Results indicated that both the visual and verbal working memory tasks resulted in a reduction of attention allocation to the processing of images across stimulus types compared to the baseline task, although only for individuals low in worry. These data extend the literature by documenting decreased neural responding (i.e., LPP amplitude) to imagery both the visual and verbal working memory load, particularly among individuals low in worry. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

28 CFR 0.160 - Offers that may be accepted by Assistant Attorneys General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... responsibility can be equitably allocated and are: (A) Paying at least the allocated amount; or (B) Unable to pay... agency involved, or for any other reason, the proposed settlement should receive the personal attention...

28 CFR 0.160 - Offers that may be accepted by Assistant Attorneys General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... responsibility can be equitably allocated and are: (A) Paying at least the allocated amount; or (B) Unable to pay... agency involved, or for any other reason, the proposed settlement should receive the personal attention...

28 CFR 0.160 - Offers that may be accepted by Assistant Attorneys General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... responsibility can be equitably allocated and are: (A) Paying at least the allocated amount; or (B) Unable to pay... agency involved, or for any other reason, the proposed settlement should receive the personal attention...

28 CFR 0.160 - Offers that may be accepted by Assistant Attorneys General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... responsibility can be equitably allocated and are: (A) Paying at least the allocated amount; or (B) Unable to pay... agency involved, or for any other reason, the proposed settlement should receive the personal attention...

Educational Implications of Dyscalculia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flinter, Paul F.

1979-01-01

Difficulties encountered by a dyscalculia child are discussed and remedial activities suggested. Disturbances discussed are verbal, visual-spatial, reading and writing numbers, operations, understanding concepts, and place value. (MP)

Interactions among emotional attention, encoding, and retrieval of ambiguous information: An eye-tracking study.

PubMed

Everaert, Jonas; Koster, Ernst H W

2015-10-01

Emotional biases in attention modulate encoding of emotional material into long-term memory, but little is known about the role of such attentional biases during emotional memory retrieval. The present study investigated how emotional biases in memory are related to attentional allocation during retrieval. Forty-nine individuals encoded emotionally positive and negative meanings derived from ambiguous information and then searched their memory for encoded meanings in response to a set of retrieval cues. The remember/know/new procedure was used to classify memories as recollection-based or familiarity-based, and gaze behavior was monitored throughout the task to measure attentional allocation. We found that a bias in sustained attention during recollection-based, but not familiarity-based, retrieval predicted subsequent memory bias toward positive versus negative material following encoding. Thus, during emotional memory retrieval, attention affects controlled forms of retrieval (i.e., recollection) but does not modulate relatively automatic, familiarity-based retrieval. These findings enhance understanding of how distinct components of attention regulate the emotional content of memories. Implications for theoretical models and emotion regulation are discussed. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Safety first: Instrumentality for reaching safety determines attention allocation under threat.

PubMed

Vogt, Julia; Koster, Ernst H W; De Houwer, Jan

2017-04-01

Theories of attention to emotional information suggest that attentional processes prioritize threatening information. In this article, we suggest that attention will prioritize the events that are most instrumental to a goal in any given context, which in threatening situations is typically reaching safety. To test our hypotheses, we used an attentional cueing paradigm that contained cues signaling imminent threat (i.e., aversive noises) as well as cues that allowed participants to avoid threat (instrumental safety signals). Correct reactions to instrumental safety signals seemingly allowed participants to lower the presentation rate of the threat. Experiment 1 demonstrates that attention prioritizes instrumental safety signals over threat signals. Experiment 2 replicates this finding and additionally compares instrumental safety signals to other action-relevant signals controlling for action relevance as cause of the effects. Experiment 3 demonstrates that when actions toward threat signals permit to avoid threat, attention prioritizes threat signals. Taken together, these results support the view that instrumentality for reaching safety determines the allocation of attention under threat. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Feature-specific attention allocation modulates the generalization of recently acquired likes and dislikes.

PubMed

Spruyt, Adriaan; Klauer, Karl Christoph; Gast, Anne; De Schryver, Maarten; De Houwer, Jan

2014-01-01

We examined whether the generalization of recently acquired likes and dislikes depends on feature-specific attention allocation. Likes and dislikes were established by means of an evaluative-conditioning procedure in which participants were presented with several exemplars of two subordinate categories (e.g., young men vs. old women). Whereas exemplars of one category were consistently paired with negative stimuli, exemplars of the second category were consistently paired with positive stimuli. In addition, we manipulated feature-specific attention allocation for specific stimulus dimensions (e.g., gender vs. age), either during (Experiments 1 and 2) or before the acquisition phase of the experiment (Experiment 3). Both direct and indirect attitude measures revealed a clear impact of this manipulation on attitude generalization. More specifically, only generalization stimuli that were similar to the CSs in terms of the stimulus dimension that was selectively attended to were evaluated in a manner that was congruent with the acquired liking of those CSs.

The role of driver age in performance and attention allocation effects of roadway sign count, format and familiarity.

PubMed

Zahabi, Maryam; Machado, Patricia; Pankok, Carl; Lau, Mei Ying; Liao, Yi-Fan; Hummer, Joseph; Rasdorf, William; Kaber, David B

2017-09-01

White-on-blue logo signs are used to inform drivers of food, gas, lodging, and attraction businesses at highway interchanges. In this study, 60 drivers were asked to look for food and attraction targets on logo signs while driving in a realistic freeway simulation. The objective of the study was to quantify effects of the number of sign panels (six vs. nine), logo familiarity (familiar vs. unfamiliar), logo format (text vs. pictorial), and driver age (young, middle, and elderly) on performance, attention allocation and target identification accuracy. Results revealed elderly drivers to exhibit worse performance in comparison to middle-age and young groups even though they adopted a more conservative driving strategy. There was no significant effect of the number of panels, logo familiarity, and logo format on driver performance or attention allocation. In target identification, drivers were more accurate with familiar or text-based panels appearing in six-panel signs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amygdala neural activity reflects spatial attention towards stimuli promising reward or threatening punishment

PubMed Central

Peck, Christopher J; Salzman, C Daniel

2014-01-01

Humans and other animals routinely identify and attend to sensory stimuli so as to rapidly acquire rewards or avoid aversive experiences. Emotional arousal, a process mediated by the amygdala, can enhance attention to stimuli in a non-spatial manner. However, amygdala neural activity was recently shown to encode spatial information about reward-predictive stimuli, and to correlate with spatial attention allocation. If representing the motivational significance of sensory stimuli within a spatial framework reflects a general principle of amygdala function, then spatially selective neural responses should also be elicited by sensory stimuli threatening aversive events. Recordings from amygdala neurons were therefore obtained while monkeys directed spatial attention towards stimuli promising reward or threatening punishment. Neural responses encoded spatial information similarly for stimuli associated with both valences of reinforcement, and responses reflected spatial attention allocation. The amygdala therefore may act to enhance spatial attention to sensory stimuli associated with rewarding or aversive experiences. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.04478.001 PMID:25358090

Normal Performance in Non-Visual Social Cognition Tasks in Women with Turner Syndrome.

PubMed

Anaki, David; Zadikov-Mor, Tal; Gepstein, Vardit; Hochberg, Ze'ev

2018-01-01

Turner syndrome (TS) is a chromosomal disorder in women resulting from a partial or complete absence of the X chromosome. In addition to physical and hormonal dysfunctions, along with a unique neurocognitive profile, women with TS are reported to suffer from social functioning difficulties. Yet, it is unclear whether these difficulties stem from impairments in social cognition per se or from other deficits that characterize TS but are not specific to social cognition. Previous research that has probed social functioning in TS is equivocal regarding the source of these psychosocial problems since they have mainly used tasks that were dependent on visual-spatial skills, which are known to be compromised in TS. In the present study, we tested 26 women with TS and 26 matched participants on three social cognition tasks that did not require any visual-spatial capacities but rather relied on auditory-verbal skills. The results revealed that in all three tasks the TS participants did not differ from their control counterparts. The same TS cohort was found, in an earlier study, to be impaired, relative to controls, in other social cognition tasks that were dependent on visual-spatial skills. Taken together these findings suggest that the social problems, documented in TS, may be related to non-specific spatial-visual factors that affect their social cognition skills.

Extremely Selective Attention: Eye-Tracking Studies of the Dynamic Allocation of Attention to Stimulus Features in Categorization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair, Mark R.; Watson, Marcus R.; Walshe, R. Calen; Maj, Fillip

2009-01-01

Humans have an extremely flexible ability to categorize regularities in their environment, in part because of attentional systems that allow them to focus on important perceptual information. In formal theories of categorization, attention is typically modeled with weights that selectively bias the processing of stimulus features. These theories…

College Students' Attention Behaviors during Independent Study and Course Level Academic Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Linda G.

2012-01-01

Students in college make daily choices about how to use their independent study time, including choices about allocation of attention. Based on theoretical considerations and clinical studies, attention and the dividing of attention through multitasking is thought to have a relationship to performance levels. Research is only beginning to explore,…

Genetics Home Reference: Barth syndrome

MedlinePlus

... intelligence but often have difficulty performing tasks involving math or visual-spatial skills such as puzzles. Males with Barth syndrome have increased levels of a substance called 3-methylglutaconic acid in ...

Viewpoint in the Visual-Spatial Modality: The Coordination of Spatial Perspective

PubMed Central

Pyers, Jennie E.; Perniss, Pamela; Emmorey, Karen

2015-01-01

Sign languages express viewpoint-dependent spatial relations (e.g., left, right) iconically but must conventionalize from whose viewpoint the spatial relation is being described, the signer's or the perceiver's. In Experiment 1, ASL signers and sign-naïve gesturers expressed viewpoint-dependent relations egocentrically, but only signers successfully interpreted the descriptions non-egocentrically, suggesting that viewpoint convergence in the visual modality emerges with language conventionalization. In Experiment 2, we observed that the cost of adopting a non-egocentric viewpoint was greater for producers than for perceivers, suggesting that sign languages have converged on the most cognitively efficient means of expressing left-right spatial relations. We suggest that non-linguistic cognitive factors such as visual perspective-taking and motor embodiment may constrain viewpoint convergence in the visual-spatial modality. PMID:26981027

Viewpoint in the Visual-Spatial Modality: The Coordination of Spatial Perspective.

PubMed

Pyers, Jennie E; Perniss, Pamela; Emmorey, Karen

2015-06-01

Sign languages express viewpoint-dependent spatial relations (e.g., left, right) iconically but must conventionalize from whose viewpoint the spatial relation is being described, the signer's or the perceiver's. In Experiment 1, ASL signers and sign-naïve gesturers expressed viewpoint-dependent relations egocentrically, but only signers successfully interpreted the descriptions non-egocentrically, suggesting that viewpoint convergence in the visual modality emerges with language conventionalization. In Experiment 2, we observed that the cost of adopting a non-egocentric viewpoint was greater for producers than for perceivers, suggesting that sign languages have converged on the most cognitively efficient means of expressing left-right spatial relations. We suggest that non-linguistic cognitive factors such as visual perspective-taking and motor embodiment may constrain viewpoint convergence in the visual-spatial modality.

Training of Visual-Spatial Working Memory in Preschool Children

PubMed Central

Gade, Miriam; Zoelch, Christof; Seitz-Stein, Katja

2017-01-01

Working memory, the ability to store and manipulate information is of great importance for scholastic achievement in children. In this study, we report four studies in which preschoolers were trained on a visual-spatial working memory span task, namely the Corsi Block Task. Across all four studies, we found significant training effects for the intervention groups compared to active control groups. Confirming recent research, no transfer effects to other working memory tasks were found. Most importantly, our training effects were mainly brought about by children performing below the median in the pretest and those showing median performance, thereby closing the gap to children performing above the median (compensation effect). We consider this finding of great interest to ensure comparable starting conditions when entering school with a relatively short intervention. PMID:28713452

The role of metacognition in prospective memory: anticipated task demands influence attention allocation strategies.

PubMed

Rummel, Jan; Meiser, Thorsten

2013-09-01

The present study investigates how individuals distribute their attentional resources between a prospective memory task and an ongoing task. Therefore, metacognitive expectations about the attentional demands of the prospective-memory task were manipulated while the factual demands were held constant. In Experiments 1a and 1b, we found attentional costs from a prospective-memory task with low factual demands to be significantly reduced when information about the low to-be-expected demands were provided, while prospective-memory performance remained largely unaffected. In Experiment 2, attentional monitoring in a more demanding prospective-memory task also varied with information about the to-be-expected demands (high vs. low) and again there were no equivalent changes in prospective-memory performance. These findings suggest that attention-allocation strategies of prospective memory rely on metacognitive expectations about prospective-memory task demands. Furthermore, the results suggest that attentional monitoring is only functional for prospective memory to the extent to which anticipated task demands reflect objective task demands. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Affective picture modulation: valence, arousal, attention allocation and motivational significance.

PubMed

Leite, Jorge; Carvalho, Sandra; Galdo-Alvarez, Santiago; Alves, Jorge; Sampaio, Adriana; Gonçalves, Oscar F

2012-03-01

The present study analyses the modulatory effects of affective pictures in the early posterior negativity (EPN), the late positive potential (LPP) and the human startle response on both the peripheral (eye blink EMG) and central neurophysiological levels (Probe P3), during passive affective pictures viewing. The affective pictures categories were balanced in terms of valence (pleasant; unpleasant) and arousal (high; low). The data shows that EPN may be sensitive to specific stimulus characteristics (affective relevant pictures versus neutral pictures) associated with early stages of attentional processing. In later stages, the heightened attentional resource allocation as well as the motivated significance of the affective stimuli was found to elicit enhanced amplitudes of slow wave processes thought to be related to enhanced encoding, namely LPP,. Although pleasant low arousing pictures were effective in engaging the resources involved in the slow wave processes, the highly arousing affective stimuli (pleasant and unpleasant) were found to produce the largest enhancement of the LPP, suggesting that high arousing stimuli may are associated with increased motivational significance. Additionally the response to high arousing stimuli may be suggestive of increased motivational attention, given the heightened attentional allocation, as expressed in the P3 probe, especially for the pleasant pictures. The hedonic valence may then serve as a mediator of the attentional inhibition to the affective priming, potentiating or inhibiting a shift towards defensive activation, as measured by the startle reflex. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Atlas of Chinese World Wide Web Ecosystem Shaped by the Collective Attention Flows.

PubMed

Lou, Xiaodan; Li, Yong; Gu, Weiwei; Zhang, Jiang

2016-01-01

The web can be regarded as an ecosystem of digital resources connected and shaped by collective successive behaviors of users. Knowing how people allocate limited attention on different resources is of great importance. To answer this, we embed the most popular Chinese web sites into a high dimensional Euclidean space based on the open flow network model of a large number of Chinese users' collective attention flows, which both considers the connection topology of hyperlinks between the sites and the collective behaviors of the users. With these tools, we rank the web sites and compare their centralities based on flow distances with other metrics. We also study the patterns of attention flow allocation, and find that a large number of web sites concentrate on the central area of the embedding space, and only a small fraction of web sites disperse in the periphery. The entire embedding space can be separated into 3 regions(core, interim, and periphery). The sites in the core (1%) occupy a majority of the attention flows (40%), and the sites (34%) in the interim attract 40%, whereas other sites (65%) only take 20% flows. What's more, we clustered the web sites into 4 groups according to their positions in the space, and found that similar web sites in contents and topics are grouped together. In short, by incorporating the open flow network model, we can clearly see how collective attention allocates and flows on different web sites, and how web sites connected each other.

A model for dynamic allocation of human attention among multiple tasks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sheridan, T. B.; Tulga, M. K.

1978-01-01

The problem of multi-task attention allocation with special reference to aircraft piloting is discussed with the experimental paradigm used to characterize this situation and the experimental results obtained in the first phase of the research. A qualitative description of an approach to mathematical modeling, and some results obtained with it are also presented to indicate what aspects of the model are most promising. Two appendices are given which (1) discuss the model in relation to graph theory and optimization and (2) specify the optimization algorithm of the model.

Impaired Prioritization of Novel Onset Stimuli in Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keehn, Brandon; Joseph, Robert M.

2008-01-01

Background: Deficiency in the adaptive allocation of attention to relevant environmental stimuli is an associated feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent evidence suggests that individuals with ASD may be specifically impaired in attentional prioritization of novel onsets. Method: We investigated modulation of attention by novel onset…

Visual Memory for Objects Following Foveal Vision Loss

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Geringswald, Franziska; Herbik, Anne; Hofmüller, Wolfram; Hoffmann, Michael B.; Pollmann, Stefan

2015-01-01

Allocation of visual attention is crucial for encoding items into visual long-term memory. In free vision, attention is closely linked to the center of gaze, raising the question whether foveal vision loss entails suboptimal deployment of attention and subsequent impairment of object encoding. To investigate this question, we examined visual…

Visual Attention to Antismoking PSAs: Smoking Cues versus Other Attention-Grabbing Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanders-Jackson, Ashley N.; Cappella, Joseph N.; Linebarger, Deborah L.; Piotrowski, Jessica Taylor; O'Keeffe, Moira; Strasser, Andrew A.

2011-01-01

This study examines how addicted smokers attend visually to smoking-related public service announcements (PSAs) in adults smokers. Smokers' onscreen visual fixation is an indicator of cognitive resources allocated to visual attention. Characteristic of individuals with addictive tendencies, smokers are expected to be appetitively activated by…

Visual Attention Allocation Between Robotic Arm and Environmental Process Control: Validating the STOM Task Switching Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wickens, Christopher; Vieanne, Alex; Clegg, Benjamin; Sebok, Angelia; Janes, Jessica

2015-01-01

Fifty six participants time shared a spacecraft environmental control system task with a realistic space robotic arm control task in either a manual or highly automated version. The former could suffer minor failures, whose diagnosis and repair were supported by a decision aid. At the end of the experiment this decision aid unexpectedly failed. We measured visual attention allocation and switching between the two tasks, in each of the eight conditions formed by manual-automated arm X expected-unexpected failure X monitoring- failure management. We also used our multi-attribute task switching model, based on task attributes of priority interest, difficulty and salience that were self-rated by participants, to predict allocation. An un-weighted model based on attributes of difficulty, interest and salience accounted for 96 percent of the task allocation variance across the 8 different conditions. Task difficulty served as an attractor, with more difficult tasks increasing the tendency to stay on task.

Threats, rewards, and attention deployment in anxious youth and adults: An eye tracking study.

PubMed

Shechner, Tomer; Jarcho, Johanna M; Wong, Stuart; Leibenluft, Ellen; Pine, Daniel S; Nelson, Eric E

2017-01-01

The current study examines anxiety and age associations with attention allocation and physiological response to threats and rewards. Twenty-two healthy-adults, 20 anxious-adults, 26 healthy-youth, and 19 anxious-youth completed two eye-tracking tasks. In the Visual Scene Task (VST), participants' fixations were recorded while they viewed a central neutral image flanked by two threatening or two rewarding stimuli. In the Negative Words Task (NWT), physiological response was measured by means of pupil diameter change while negative and neutral words were presented. For both tasks, no interaction was found between anxiety and age-group. In the VST, anxious participants avoided the threatening images when groups were collapsed across age. Similarly, adults but not adolescents avoided the threatening images when collapsed across anxiety. No differences were found for rewarding images. In NWT, all subjects demonstrated increase in pupil dilation after word presentation. Only main effect of age emerged with stronger pupil dilation in adults than children. Finally, maximum pupil change was correlated with threat avoidance bias in the scene task. Gaze patterns and pupil dilation show that anxiety and age are associated with attention allocation to threats. The relations between attention and autonomic arousal point to a complex interaction between bottom-up and top-down processes as they relate to attention allocation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Broad Autism Phenotype in Typically Developing Children Predicts Performance on an Eye-Tracking Measure of Joint Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Meghan R.; Serlin, Gayle C.; Siller, Michael

2013-01-01

We examined visual attention allocation during a set of social videos that are intended to elicit the coordination of attention with another person, compared to a control condition. Deficits in joint attention are a characteristic of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Participants included a diverse sample of 50 typically…

Posterior parietal cortex and episodic encoding: insights from fMRI subsequent memory effects and dual-attention theory.

PubMed

Uncapher, Melina R; Wagner, Anthony D

2009-02-01

The formation of episodic memories--memories for life events--is affected by attention during event processing. A leading neurobiological model of attention posits two separate yet interacting systems that depend on distinct regions in lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC). From this dual-attention perspective, dorsal PPC is thought to support the goal-directed allocation of attention, whereas ventral PPC is thought to support reflexive orienting to information that automatically captures attention. To advance understanding of how parietal mechanisms may impact event encoding, we review functional MRI studies that document the relationship between lateral PPC activation during encoding and subsequent memory performance (e.g., later remembering or forgetting). This review reveals that (a) encoding-related activity is frequently observed in human lateral PPC, (b) increased activation in dorsal PPC is associated with later memory success, and (c) increased activation in ventral PPC predominantly correlates with later memory failure. From a dual-attention perspective, these findings suggest that allocating goal-directed attention during event processing increases the probability that the event will be remembered later, whereas the capture of reflexive attention during event processing may have negative consequences for event encoding. The prevalence of encoding-related activation in parietal cortex suggests that neurobiological models of episodic memory should consider how parietal-mediated attentional mechanisms regulate encoding.

The Stimulus Movement Effect: Allocation of Attention or Artifact?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Washburn, David A.

1993-01-01

In previous reports, including one by the author, learning has been shown to benefit by having discriminanda move rather than remain stationary. This stimulus movement effect might be attributed to several theoretical mechanisms, including attention, topological memory, and exposure duration. The series of experiments reported in this article was designed to Contrast these potential explanatory factors. Ten rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were tested on a variety of computerized tasks in which the stimuli remained stationary, flashed, or moved at systematically varied speeds. Performance was significantly best when the sample stimulus moved quickly and was poorest when the stimulus remained stationary. Further analysis of these data and other previously published data revealed that the distribution of the stimulus movement effect across trials supported an attention allocation interpretation.

Neuropsychological findings in childhood neglect and their relationships to pediatric PTSD.

PubMed

DE Bellis, Michael D; Hooper, Stephen R; Spratt, Eve G; Woolley, Donald P

2009-11-01

Although child neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, the neurocognitive effects of neglect are understudied. We examined IQ, reading, mathematics, and neurocognitive domains of fine-motor skills, language, visual-spatial, memory/learning, and attention/executive functions in two groups of nonsexually abused medically healthy neglected children, one with DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one without, and a demographically similar healthy nonmaltreated control group. Significantly lower IQ, reading, mathematics, and selected differences in complex visual attention, visual memory, language, verbal memory and learning, planning, problem solving, and speeded naming were seen in Neglect Groups. The Neglect with PTSD Group performed worse than controls on NEPSY Design Copying, NEPSY Tower, and Mathematics; and performed worse than controls and Neglect without PTSD on NEPSY Memory for Faces-Delayed. Negative correlations were seen between PTSD symptoms, PTSD severity, and maltreatment variables, and IQ, Academic Achievement, and neurocognitive domains. Neglected children demonstrated significantly lower neurocognitive outcomes and academic achievement than controls. Lower IQ, neurocognitive functions, and achievement may be associated with more PTSD symptoms (particularly re-experiencing symptoms), greater PTSD severity, and a greater number of maltreatment experiences. Trauma experiences may additionally contribute to subsequent neurodevelopmental risk in neglected children. (JINS, 2009, 15, 868-878.).

Neuropsychological Findings in Childhood Neglect and their Relationships to Pediatric PTSD

PubMed Central

De Bellis, Michael D.; Hooper, Stephen R.; Spratt, Eve G.; Woolley, Donald P.

2011-01-01

Statement of the problem Although child neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, the neurocognitive effects of neglect is understudied. Methods We examined IQ, reading, mathematics, and neurocognitive domains of fine-motor skills, language, visual-spatial, memory/learning, and attention/executive functions in two groups of non-sexually abused medically healthy neglected children, one with DSM-IV posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one without, and a demographically similar healthy non-maltreated control group. Key findings Significantly lower IQ, reading, mathematics, and selected differences in complex visual attention, visual memory, language, verbal memory and learning, planning, problem solving, and speeded naming were seen in Neglect Groups. The Neglect with PTSD Group performed worse than controls on NEPSY Design Copying, NEPSY Tower, and Mathematics; and performed worse than controls and Neglect without PTSD on NEPSY Memory for Faces-Delayed. Negative correlations were seen between PTSD symptoms, PTSD severity, and maltreatment variables, and IQ, Academic Achievement, and neurocognitive domains. Conclusions Neglected children demonstrated significantly lower neurocognitive outcomes and academic achievement than controls. Lower IQ, neurocognitive functions, and achievement may be associated with more PTSD symptoms (particularly re-experiencing symptoms), greater PTSD severity, and a greater number of maltreatment experiences. Trauma experiences may additionally contribute to subsequent neurodevelopmental risk in neglected children. PMID:19703321

The kidney allocation score: methodological problems, moral concerns and unintended consequences.

PubMed

Hippen, B

2009-07-01

The growing disparity between the demand for and supply of kidneys for transplantation has generated interest in alternative systems of allocating kidneys from deceased donors. This personal viewpoint focuses attention on the Kidney Allocation Score (KAS) proposal promulgated by the UNOS/OPTN Kidney Committee. I identify several methodological and moral flaws in the proposed system, concluding that any iteration of the KAS proposal should be met with more skepticism than sanguinity.

Context Modulates Attention to Social Scenes in Toddlers with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chawarska, Katarzyna; Macari, Suzanne; Shic, Frederick

2012-01-01

Background: In typical development, the unfolding of social and communicative skills hinges upon the ability to allocate and sustain attention toward people, a skill present moments after birth. Deficits in social attention have been well documented in autism, though the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Methods: In order to parse the…

Effects of a Coactor's Focus of Attention on Task Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bockler, Anne; Knoblich, Gunther; Sebanz, Natalie

2012-01-01

Coactors take into account certain aspects of each other's tasks even when this is not required to perform their own task. The present experiments investigated whether the way a coactor allocates attention affects one's own attentional relation to stimuli that are attended jointly (Experiment 1), individually (Experiment 2), or in parallel…

Inhibition of Return and Object-Based Attentional Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

List, Alexandra; Robertson, Lynn C.

2007-01-01

Visual attention research has revealed that attentional allocation can occur in space- and/or object-based coordinates. Using the direct and elegant design of R. Egly, J. Driver, and R. Rafal (1994), the present experiments tested whether space- and object-based inhibition of return (IOR) emerge under similar time courses. The experiments were…

Rapid Acquisition but Slow Extinction of an Attentional Bias in Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiang, Yuhong V.; Swallow, Khena M.; Rosenbaum, Gail M.; Herzig, Chelsey

2013-01-01

Substantial research has focused on the allocation of spatial attention based on goals or perceptual salience. In everyday life, however, people also direct attention using their previous experience. Here we investigate the pace at which people incidentally learn to prioritize specific locations. Participants searched for a T among Ls in a visual…

Effects of Perceived School Well-Being and Negative Emotionality on Students' Attentional Bias for Academic Stressors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scrimin, Sara; Moscardino, Ughetta; Altoè, Gianmarco; Mason, Lucia

2016-01-01

Background: Previous research indicates that children can display different attention allocation patterns in response to threat. However, data are lacking on the possible existence of an attentional bias in response to academic stressors, and whether variables related to school well-being (SWB) and students' individual characteristics may…

Hemispheric Visual Attentional Imbalance in Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pavlovskaya, Marina; Groswasser, Zeev; Keren, Ofer; Mordvinov, Eugene; Hochstein, Shaul

2007-01-01

We find a spatially asymmetric allocation of attention in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) despite the lack of obvious asymmetry in neurological indicators. Identification performance was measured for simple spatial patterns presented briefly to a locus 5 degrees into the left or right hemifield, after precuing attention to the same…

ERP correlates of attention allocation in mothers processing faces of their children

PubMed Central

Grasso, Damion J.; Moser, Jason S.; Dozier, Mary; Simons, Robert

2012-01-01

This study employed visually evoked event-related potential (ERP) methodology to examine temporal patterns of structural and higher-level face processing in birth and foster/adoptive mothers viewing pictures of their children. Fourteen birth mothers and 14 foster/adoptive mothers engaged in a computerized task in which they viewed facial pictures of their own children, and of familiar and unfamiliar children and adults. All mothers, regardless of type, showed ERP patterns suggestive of increased attention allocation to their own children’s faces compared to other child and adult faces beginning as early as 100–150 ms after stimulus onset and lasting for several hundred milliseconds. These data are in line with a parallel processing model that posits the involvement of several brain regions in simultaneously encoding the structural features of faces as well as their emotional and personal significance. Additionally, late positive ERP patterns associated with greater allocation of attention predicted mothers’ perceptions of the parent–child relationship as positive and influential to their children’s psychological development. These findings suggest the potential utility of using ERP components to index maternal processes. PMID:19428973

On the dynamics of implicit emotion regulation: counter-regulation after remembering events of high but not of low emotional intensity.

PubMed

Schwager, Susanne; Rothermund, Klaus

2014-01-01

Valence biases in attention allocation were assessed after remembering positive or negative personal events that were either still emotionally hot or to which the person had already adapted psychologically. Differences regarding the current state of psychological adjustment were manipulated experimentally by instructing participants to recall distant vs. recent events (Experiment 1) or affectively hot events vs. events to which the person had accommodated already (Experiment 2). Valence biases in affective processing were measured with a valence search task. Processes of emotional counter-regulation (i.e., attention allocation to stimuli of opposite valence to the emotional event) were elicited by remembering affectively hot events, whereas congruency effects (i.e., attention allocation to stimuli of the same valence as the emotional event) were obtained for events for which a final appraisal had already been established. The results of our study help to resolve conflicting findings from the literature regarding congruent vs. incongruent effects of remembering emotional events on affective processing. We discuss implications of our findings for the conception of emotions and for the dynamics of emotion regulation processes.

Auditory noise increases the allocation of attention to the mouth, and the eyes pay the price: An eye-tracking study.

PubMed

Król, Magdalena Ewa

2018-01-01

We investigated the effect of auditory noise added to speech on patterns of looking at faces in 40 toddlers. We hypothesised that noise would increase the difficulty of processing speech, making children allocate more attention to the mouth of the speaker to gain visual speech cues from mouth movements. We also hypothesised that this shift would cause a decrease in fixation time to the eyes, potentially decreasing the ability to monitor gaze. We found that adding noise increased the number of fixations to the mouth area, at the price of a decreased number of fixations to the eyes. Thus, to our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating a mouth-eyes trade-off between attention allocated to social cues coming from the eyes and linguistic cues coming from the mouth. We also found that children with higher word recognition proficiency and higher average pupil response had an increased likelihood of fixating the mouth, compared to the eyes and the rest of the screen, indicating stronger motivation to decode the speech.

Auditory noise increases the allocation of attention to the mouth, and the eyes pay the price: An eye-tracking study

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

We investigated the effect of auditory noise added to speech on patterns of looking at faces in 40 toddlers. We hypothesised that noise would increase the difficulty of processing speech, making children allocate more attention to the mouth of the speaker to gain visual speech cues from mouth movements. We also hypothesised that this shift would cause a decrease in fixation time to the eyes, potentially decreasing the ability to monitor gaze. We found that adding noise increased the number of fixations to the mouth area, at the price of a decreased number of fixations to the eyes. Thus, to our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating a mouth-eyes trade-off between attention allocated to social cues coming from the eyes and linguistic cues coming from the mouth. We also found that children with higher word recognition proficiency and higher average pupil response had an increased likelihood of fixating the mouth, compared to the eyes and the rest of the screen, indicating stronger motivation to decode the speech. PMID:29558514

Virtual Reality: An Instructional Medium for Visual-Spatial Tasks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regian, J. Wesley; And Others

1992-01-01

Describes an empirical exploration of the instructional potential of virtual reality as an interface for simulation-based training. Shows that subjects learned spatial-procedural and spatial-navigational skills in virtual reality. (SR)

Attention mediates the flexible allocation of visual working memory resources.

PubMed

Emrich, Stephen M; Lockhart, Holly A; Al-Aidroos, Naseem

2017-07-01

Though it is clear that it is impossible to store an unlimited amount of information in visual working memory (VWM), the limiting mechanisms remain elusive. While several models of VWM limitations exist, these typically characterize changes in performance as a function of the number of to-be-remembered items. Here, we examine whether changes in spatial attention could better account for VWM performance, independent of load. Across 2 experiments, performance was better predicted by the prioritization of memory items (i.e., attention) than by the number of items to be remembered (i.e., memory load). This relationship followed a power law, and held regardless of whether performance was assessed based on overall precision or any of 3 measures in a mixture model. Moreover, at large set sizes, even minimally attended items could receive a small proportion of resources, without any evidence for a discrete-capacity on the number of items that could be maintained in VWM. Finally, the observed data were best fit by a variable-precision model in which response error was related to the proportion of resources allocated to each item, consistent with a model of VWM in which performance is determined by the continuous allocation of attentional resources during encoding. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Dynamic allocation of attention to metrical and grouping accents in rhythmic sequences.

PubMed

Kung, Shu-Jen; Tzeng, Ovid J L; Hung, Daisy L; Wu, Denise H

2011-04-01

Most people find it easy to perform rhythmic movements in synchrony with music, which reflects their ability to perceive the temporal periodicity and to allocate attention in time accordingly. Musicians and non-musicians were tested in a click localization paradigm in order to investigate how grouping and metrical accents in metrical rhythms influence attention allocation, and to reveal the effect of musical expertise on such processing. We performed two experiments in which the participants were required to listen to isochronous metrical rhythms containing superimposed clicks and then to localize the click on graphical and ruler-like representations with and without grouping structure information, respectively. Both experiments revealed metrical and grouping influences on click localization. Musical expertise improved the precision of click localization, especially when the click coincided with a metrically strong beat. Critically, although all participants located the click accurately at the beginning of an intensity group, only musicians located it precisely when it coincided with a strong beat at the end of the group. Removal of the visual cue of grouping structures enhanced these effects in musicians and reduced them in non-musicians. These results indicate that musical expertise not only enhances attention to metrical accents but also heightens sensitivity to perceptual grouping.

The right hemisphere is independent from the left hemisphere in allocating visuospatial attention.

PubMed

Zuanazzi, Arianna; Cattaneo, Luigi

2017-07-28

The capacity to allocate visuospatial attention is traditionally considered right-lateralized according to the effects of unilateral cerebral lesions. Contralateral hemi-spatial neglect occurs much more frequently after lesions of the right hemisphere, which has therefore been dubbed as 'dominant'. This pattern of symptoms is supported by functional models that postulate either independence or reciprocal influences between the two hemispheres. Here we specifically explored the dependency of the right hemisphere (RH) from the left hemisphere (LH) in spatial attention. We capitalized on the well-known effect of online transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on the RH in healthy individuals, consisting in transient neglect-like manifestations in the left hemi-space. We assessed whether prior stimulation of the left posterior parietal cortex with a long-lasting neuromodulatory procedure (transcranial direct current stimulation - tDCS) affected the acute effects of TMS on the right posterior parietal cortex. We performed a within-subjects factorial study with two factors: LH tDCS (sham or real) and RH TMS (sham or real), resulting in a 2×2 design. The effects on spatial attention were examined separately for the two hemi-spaces by means of a modified line-bisection task. The results indicated that TMS over the RH produced a spatial attention deficit in the left hemi-space alone and the behavioural effects of TMS were not modulated by prior stimulation of the LH. Interestingly, additional analyses showed that tDCS over the LH alone produced a deficit in spatial attention to the right hemi-space. We interpret the current results as evidence for a largely independent contribution of each hemisphere to the allocation of visuospatial attention limited to the contralateral hemi-space. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Role of Working Memory in Children's Understanding Spoken Narrative: A Preliminary Investigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, James W.; Polunenko, Anzhela; Marinellie, Sally A.

2009-01-01

The role of phonological short-term memory (PSTM), attentional resource capacity/allocation, and processing speed on children's spoken narrative comprehension was investigated. Sixty-seven children (6-11 years) completed a digit span task (PSTM), concurrent verbal processing and storage (CPS) task (resource capacity/allocation), auditory-visual…

Spatial allocation of forest recreation value

Treesearch

Kenneth A. Baerenklau; Armando Gonzalez-Caban; Catrina Paez; Edgard Chavez

2009-01-01

Non-market valuation methods and geographic information systems are useful planning and management tools for public land managers. Recent attention has been given to investigation and demonstration of methods for combining these tools to provide spatially-explicit representations of non-market value. Most of these efforts have focused on spatial allocation of...

Predictors of Department Viability in Periods of Decline.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Jane

Characteristics of academic departments that affect resource allocation to departments by the college or university are discussed, especially in times of retrenchment. Attention is focused on the ability of academic departments to maintain or increase their share of the resources allocated by the central governing board. Relevant departmental…

Dynamic functional connectivity shapes individual differences in associative learning.

PubMed

Fatima, Zainab; Kovacevic, Natasha; Misic, Bratislav; McIntosh, Anthony Randal

2016-11-01

Current neuroscientific research has shown that the brain reconfigures its functional interactions at multiple timescales. Here, we sought to link transient changes in functional brain networks to individual differences in behavioral and cognitive performance by using an active learning paradigm. Participants learned associations between pairs of unrelated visual stimuli by using feedback. Interindividual behavioral variability was quantified with a learning rate measure. By using a multivariate statistical framework (partial least squares), we identified patterns of network organization across multiple temporal scales (within a trial, millisecond; across a learning session, minute) and linked these to the rate of change in behavioral performance (fast and slow). Results indicated that posterior network connectivity was present early in the trial for fast, and later in the trial for slow performers. In contrast, connectivity in an associative memory network (frontal, striatal, and medial temporal regions) occurred later in the trial for fast, and earlier for slow performers. Time-dependent changes in the posterior network were correlated with visual/spatial scores obtained from independent neuropsychological assessments, with fast learners performing better on visual/spatial subtests. No relationship was found between functional connectivity dynamics in the memory network and visual/spatial test scores indicative of cognitive skill. By using a comprehensive set of measures (behavioral, cognitive, and neurophysiological), we report that individual variations in learning-related performance change are supported by differences in cognitive ability and time-sensitive connectivity in functional neural networks. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3911-3928, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Specific arithmetic calculation deficits in children with Turner syndrome.

PubMed

Rovet, J; Szekely, C; Hockenberry, M N

1994-12-01

Study 1 compared arithmetic processing skills on the WRAT-R in 45 girls with Turner syndrome (TS) and 92 age-matched female controls. Results revealed significant underachievement by subjects with TS, which reflected their poorer performance on problems requiring the retrieval of addition and multiplication facts and procedural knowledge for addition and division operations. TS subjects did not differ qualitatively from controls in type of procedural error committed. Study 2, which compared the performance of 10 subjects with TS and 31 controls on the Keymath Diagnostic Arithmetic Test, showed that the TS group had less adequate knowledge of arithmetic, subtraction, and multiplication procedures but did not differ from controls on Fact items. Error analyses revealed that TS subjects were more likely to confuse component steps or fail to separate intermediate steps or to complete problems. TS subjects relied to a greater degree on verbal than visual-spatial abilities in arithmetic processing while their visual-spatial abilities were associated with retrieval of simple multidigit addition facts and knowledge of subtraction, multiplication, and division procedures. Differences between the TS and control groups increased with age for Keymath, but not WRAT-R, procedures. Discrepant findings are related to the different task constraints (timed vs. untimed, single vs. alternate versions, size of item pool) and the use of different strategies (counting vs. fact retrieval). It is concluded that arithmetic difficulties in females with TS are due to less adequate procedural skills, combined with poorer fact retrieval in timed testing situations, rather than to inadequate visual-spatial abilities.

Planning attitudes, lay philosophies, and water allocation: A preliminary analysis and research agenda

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Syme, Geoffrey J.; Nancarrow, Blair E.

Despite the important societal consequences of water policy, community attitudes toward planning, ethics, and equity for allocation of water have received little research attention. This preliminary research was conducted to assess the range and structure of planning attitudes and equity and ethical considerations which might be relevant to the general public's evaluation of water allocation systems. The relationship of these to priorities for water allocation were also examined. The results showed a complex structure for planning attitudes. There were also generalized but clearly defined community approaches to water allocation. A number of significant relationships between planning attitudes and philosophies of allocation were shown. Planning attitudes also related to priorities for water allocation. In practical terms the research provides some preliminary, ethically based evaluative criteria which could be applied to allocation decision-making systems. Theoretical research possibilities are also outlined.

Do social utility judgments influence attentional processing?

PubMed

Shore, Danielle M; Heerey, Erin A

2013-10-01

Research shows that social judgments influence decision-making in social environments. For example, judgments about an interaction partners' trustworthiness affect a variety of social behaviors and decisions. One mechanism by which social judgments may influence social decisions is by biasing the automatic allocation of attention toward certain social partners, thereby shaping the information people acquire. Using an attentional blink paradigm, we investigate how trustworthiness judgments alter the allocation of attention to social stimuli in a set of two experiments. The first experiment investigates trustworthiness judgments based solely on a social partner's facial appearance. The second experiment examines the effect of trustworthiness judgments based on experienced behavior. In the first, strong appearance-based judgments (positive and negative) enhanced stimulus recognizability but did not alter the size of the attentional blink, suggesting that appearance-based social judgments enhance face memory but do not affect pre-attentive processing. However, in the second experiment, in which judgments were based on behavioral experience rather than appearance, positive judgments enhanced pre-attentive processing of trustworthy faces. This suggests that a stimulus's potential benefits, rather than its disadvantages, shape the automatic distribution of attentional resources. These results have implications for understanding how appearance- and behavior-based social cues shape attention distribution in social environments. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Attention and Trust Biases in the Design of Augmented Reality Displays

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-04-01

storage, selective attention , and their mutual constraints within the human information processing system. Psychological Bulletin, 104(2), 163-191...the pilots’ attention at the cost of processing other information in the far domain beyond the symbology, i.e., attentional tunneling (Fadden et al...need to select between two sources of information, attention is allocated to the one which facilitates the user’s task. When only a single source of

Focused attention improves working memory: implications for flexible-resource and discrete-capacity models.

PubMed

Souza, Alessandra S; Rerko, Laura; Lin, Hsuan-Yu; Oberauer, Klaus

2014-10-01

Performance in working memory (WM) tasks depends on the capacity for storing objects and on the allocation of attention to these objects. Here, we explored how capacity models need to be augmented to account for the benefit of focusing attention on the target of recall. Participants encoded six colored disks (Experiment 1) or a set of one to eight colored disks (Experiment 2) and were cued to recall the color of a target on a color wheel. In the no-delay condition, the recall-cue was presented after a 1,000-ms retention interval, and participants could report the retrieved color immediately. In the delay condition, the recall-cue was presented at the same time as in the no-delay condition, but the opportunity to report the color was delayed. During this delay, participants could focus attention exclusively on the target. Responses deviated less from the target's color in the delay than in the no-delay condition. Mixture modeling assigned this benefit to a reduction in guessing (Experiments 1 and 2) and transposition errors (Experiment 2). We tested several computational models implementing flexible or discrete capacity allocation, aiming to explain both the effect of set size, reflecting the limited capacity of WM, and the effect of delay, reflecting the role of attention to WM representations. Both models fit the data better when a spatially graded source of transposition error is added to its assumptions. The benefits of focusing attention could be explained by allocating to this object a higher proportion of the capacity to represent color.

The Atlas of Chinese World Wide Web Ecosystem Shaped by the Collective Attention Flows

PubMed Central

Lou, Xiaodan; Li, Yong; Gu, Weiwei; Zhang, Jiang

2016-01-01

The web can be regarded as an ecosystem of digital resources connected and shaped by collective successive behaviors of users. Knowing how people allocate limited attention on different resources is of great importance. To answer this, we embed the most popular Chinese web sites into a high dimensional Euclidean space based on the open flow network model of a large number of Chinese users’ collective attention flows, which both considers the connection topology of hyperlinks between the sites and the collective behaviors of the users. With these tools, we rank the web sites and compare their centralities based on flow distances with other metrics. We also study the patterns of attention flow allocation, and find that a large number of web sites concentrate on the central area of the embedding space, and only a small fraction of web sites disperse in the periphery. The entire embedding space can be separated into 3 regions(core, interim, and periphery). The sites in the core (1%) occupy a majority of the attention flows (40%), and the sites (34%) in the interim attract 40%, whereas other sites (65%) only take 20% flows. What’s more, we clustered the web sites into 4 groups according to their positions in the space, and found that similar web sites in contents and topics are grouped together. In short, by incorporating the open flow network model, we can clearly see how collective attention allocates and flows on different web sites, and how web sites connected each other. PMID:27812133

On Cognitive Strategies for Facilitating Acquisition, Retention, and Retrieval in Training and Education

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-05-01

real time task that calls for flexibility in allocating attention to differ- ent tasks and the ability to cope with divided attention , or to time... attentional and intentional processes. Self-directional resources include self-programming and self-monitoring processes. Possibilities for teaching...students better control over attentional and intentional processes, by using neurophysiological indicators, particularly to reduce self-generated

Effects of supervisory train control technology on operator attention.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-07-31

This report describes an experiment evaluating the effects of supervisory control automation on attention allocation while operating : a train. The study compared two levels of supervisory control (partial and full) to manual control, in terms of how...

Napping reduces emotional attention bias during early childhood.

PubMed

Cremone, Amanda; Kurdziel, Laura B F; Fraticelli-Torres, Ada; McDermott, Jennifer M; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2017-07-01

Sleep loss alters processing of emotional stimuli in preschool-aged children. However, the mechanism by which sleep modifies emotional processing in early childhood is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a nap, compared to an equivalent time spent awake, reduces biases in attention allocation to affective information. Children (n = 43; M = 55.40 months, SD = 8.05 months) completed a Dot Probe task, which provides a measure of attention biases to emotional stimuli, following a mid-day nap and an equivalent interval spent awake. No emotional attention biases emerged when children napped. However, when nap-deprived, children exhibited biases towards negative and positive stimuli. This emotional bias after wake was greater in children who napped habitually. Gender differences also emerged such that females were more attentive to positive emotional stimuli whereas males showed heightened attention to negative emotional stimuli, regardless of having napped or not. Moreover, greater slow wave activity (SWA) during the nap was associated with faster responding, which suggests that SWA may promote efficiency of attention allocation. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIoZ8mzxQgg. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Attention allocation: Relationships to general working memory or specific language processing.

PubMed

Archibald, Lisa M D; Levee, Tyler; Olino, Thomas

2015-11-01

Attention allocation, updating working memory, and language processing are interdependent cognitive tasks related to the focused direction of limited resources, refreshing and substituting information in the current focus of attention, and receiving/sending verbal communication, respectively. The current study systematically examined the relationship among executive attention, working memory executive skills, and language abilities while adjusting for individual differences in short-term memory. School-age children completed a selective attention task requiring them to recall whether a presented shape was in the same place as a previous target shape shown in an array imposing a low or high working memory load. Results revealed a selective attention cost when working above but not within memory span capacity. Measures of general working memory were positively related to overall task performance, whereas language abilities were related to response time. In particular, higher language skills were associated with faster responses under low load conditions. These findings suggest that attentional control and storage demands have an additive impact on working memory resources but provide only limited evidence for a domain-general mechanism in language learning. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rumination prospectively predicts executive functioning impairments in adolescents.

PubMed

Connolly, Samantha L; Wagner, Clara A; Shapero, Benjamin G; Pendergast, Laura L; Abramson, Lyn Y; Alloy, Lauren B

2014-03-01

The current study tested the resource allocation hypothesis, examining whether baseline rumination or depressive symptom levels prospectively predicted deficits in executive functioning in an adolescent sample. The alternative to this hypothesis was also evaluated by testing whether lower initial levels of executive functioning predicted increases in rumination or depressive symptoms at follow-up. A community sample of 200 adolescents (ages 12-13) completed measures of depressive symptoms, rumination, and executive functioning at baseline and at a follow-up session approximately 15 months later. Adolescents with higher levels of baseline rumination displayed decreases in selective attention and attentional switching at follow-up. Rumination did not predict changes in working memory or sustained and divided attention. Depressive symptoms were not found to predict significant changes in executive functioning scores at follow-up. Baseline executive functioning was not associated with change in rumination or depression over time. Findings partially support the resource allocation hypothesis that engaging in ruminative thoughts consumes cognitive resources that would otherwise be allocated towards difficult tests of executive functioning. Support was not found for the alternative hypothesis that lower levels of initial executive functioning would predict increased rumination or depressive symptoms at follow-up. Our study is the first to find support for the resource allocation hypothesis using a longitudinal design and an adolescent sample. Findings highlight the potentially detrimental effects of rumination on executive functioning during early adolescence. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rumination prospectively predicts executive functioning impairments in adolescents

PubMed Central

Connolly, Samantha L.; Wagner, Clara A.; Shapero, Benjamin G.; Pendergast, Laura L.; Abramson, Lyn Y.; Alloy, Lauren B.

2014-01-01

Background and objectives The current study tested the resource allocation hypothesis, examining whether baseline rumination or depressive symptom levels prospectively predicted deficits in executive functioning in an adolescent sample. The alternative to this hypothesis was also evaluated by testing whether lower initial levels of executive functioning predicted increases in rumination or depressive symptoms at follow-up. Methods A community sample of 200 adolescents (ages 12–13) completed measures of depressive symptoms, rumination, and executive functioning at baseline and at a follow-up session approximately 15 months later. Results Adolescents with higher levels of baseline rumination displayed decreases in selective attention and attentional switching at follow-up. Rumination did not predict changes in working memory or sustained and divided attention. Depressive symptoms were not found to predict significant changes in executive functioning scores at follow-up. Baseline executive functioning was not associated with change in rumination or depression over time. Conclusions Findings partially support the resource allocation hypothesis that engaging in ruminative thoughts consumes cognitive resources that would otherwise be allocated towards difficult tests of executive functioning. Support was not found for the alternative hypothesis that lower levels of initial executive functioning would predict increased rumination or depressive symptoms at follow-up. Our study is the first to find support for the resource allocation hypothesis using a longitudinal design and an adolescent sample. Findings highlight the potentially detrimental effects of rumination on executive functioning during early adolescence. PMID:23978629

Resource allocation and purchasing in the health sector: the English experience.

PubMed

Smith, Peter C

2008-11-01

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has extensive experience in allocating health service funds to regions and localities using funding formulae. This paper focuses on England. Special attention is given to recent policy concerns to reduce avoidable health inequalities by broadening the remit of the resource allocation formulae. The paper also examines the issues that arise when seeking to allocate funds to very small organizational units, such as general practices. The English example is relevant to less-developed health systems, especially for those governments seeking to decentralize, to improve accountability and to promote equity.

Repetitive exposure: Brain and reflex measures of emotion and attention

PubMed Central

Ferrari, Vera; Bradley, Margaret M.; Codispoti, Maurizio; Lang, Peter J.

2010-01-01

Effects of massed repetition on the modulation of the late positive potential elicited during affective picture viewing were investigated in two experiments. Despite a difference in the number of repetitions across studies (from 5 to 30), results were quite similar: the late positive potential continued to be enhanced when viewing emotional, compared to neutral, pictures. On the other hand, massed repetition did prompt a reduction in the late positive potential that was most pronounced for emotional pictures. Startle probe P3 amplitude generally increased with repetition, suggesting diminished attention allocation to repeated pictures. The blink reflex, however, continued to be modulated by hedonic valence, despite massive massed repetition. Taken together, the data suggest that the amplitude of the late positive potential during picture viewing reflects both motivational significance and attention allocation. PMID:20701711

Electrophysiological Indices of Spatial Attention during Global/Local Processing in Good and Poor Phonological Decoders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matthews, Allison Jane; Martin, Frances Heritage

2009-01-01

Previous research suggests a relationship between spatial attention and phonological decoding in developmental dyslexia. The aim of this study was to examine differences between good and poor phonological decoders in the allocation of spatial attention to global and local levels of hierarchical stimuli. A further aim was to investigate the…

Orienting Attention in Audition and between Audition and Vision: Young and Elderly Subjects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robin, Donald A.; Rizzo, Matthew

1992-01-01

Thirty young and 10 elderly adults were assessed on orienting auditory attention, in a mixed-modal condition in which stimuli were either auditory or visual. Findings suggest that the mechanisms involved in orienting attention operate in audition and that individuals may allocate their processing resources among multiple sensory pools. (Author/JDD)

Posterior Parietal Cortex and Episodic Encoding: Insights from fMRI Subsequent Memory Effects and Dual Attention Theory

PubMed Central

Uncapher, Melina; Wagner, Anthony D.

2010-01-01

The formation of episodic memories –– memories for life events –– is affected by attention during event processing. A leading neurobiological model of attention posits two separate yet interacting systems that depend on distinct regions in lateral posterior parietal cortex (PPC). From this dual-attention perspective, dorsal PPC is thought to support the goal-directed allocation of attention, whereas ventral PPC is thought to support reflexive orienting to information that automatically captures attention. To advance understanding of how parietal mechanisms may impact event encoding, we review functional MRI studies that document the relationship between lateral PPC activation during encoding and subsequent memory performance (e.g., later remembering or forgetting). This review reveals that (a) encoding-related activity is frequently observed in human lateral PPC, (b) increased activation in dorsal PPC is associated with later memory success, and (c) increased activation in ventral PPC predominantly correlates with later memory failure. From a dual-attention perspective, these findings suggest that allocating goal-directed attention during event processing increases the probability that the event will be remembered later, whereas the capture of reflexive attention during event processing may have negative consequences for event encoding. The prevalence of encoding-related activation in parietal cortex suggests that neurobiological models of episodic memory should consider how parietal-mediated attentional mechanisms regulate encoding. PMID:19028591

STUDYING THE EFFECT ON SYSTEM PREFERENCE BY VARYING CO-PRODUCT ALLOCATION IN CREATING LIFE CYCLE INVENTORY

EPA Science Inventory

How one models the input and output data for a life cycle assessment can greatly affect the results. Although much attention has been paid to allocation methodology by researchers in the field, general guidance is still lacking. Current research investigated the effect of applyin...

Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation

PubMed Central

Malinowski, Peter

2013-01-01

The scientific interest in meditation and mindfulness practice has recently seen an unprecedented surge. After an initial phase of presenting beneficial effects of mindfulness practice in various domains, research is now seeking to unravel the underlying psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms. Advances in understanding these processes are required for improving and fine-tuning mindfulness-based interventions that target specific conditions such as eating disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. This review presents a theoretical framework that emphasizes the central role of attentional control mechanisms in the development of mindfulness skills. It discusses the phenomenological level of experience during meditation, the different attentional functions that are involved, and relates these to the brain networks that subserve these functions. On the basis of currently available empirical evidence specific processes as to how attention exerts its positive influence are considered and it is concluded that meditation practice appears to positively impact attentional functions by improving resource allocation processes. As a result, attentional resources are allocated more fully during early processing phases which subsequently enhance further processing. Neural changes resulting from a pure form of mindfulness practice that is central to most mindfulness programs are considered from the perspective that they constitute a useful reference point for future research. Furthermore, possible interrelations between the improvement of attentional control and emotion regulation skills are discussed. PMID:23382709

Neural mechanisms of attentional control in mindfulness meditation.

PubMed

Malinowski, Peter

2013-01-01

The scientific interest in meditation and mindfulness practice has recently seen an unprecedented surge. After an initial phase of presenting beneficial effects of mindfulness practice in various domains, research is now seeking to unravel the underlying psychological and neurophysiological mechanisms. Advances in understanding these processes are required for improving and fine-tuning mindfulness-based interventions that target specific conditions such as eating disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. This review presents a theoretical framework that emphasizes the central role of attentional control mechanisms in the development of mindfulness skills. It discusses the phenomenological level of experience during meditation, the different attentional functions that are involved, and relates these to the brain networks that subserve these functions. On the basis of currently available empirical evidence specific processes as to how attention exerts its positive influence are considered and it is concluded that meditation practice appears to positively impact attentional functions by improving resource allocation processes. As a result, attentional resources are allocated more fully during early processing phases which subsequently enhance further processing. Neural changes resulting from a pure form of mindfulness practice that is central to most mindfulness programs are considered from the perspective that they constitute a useful reference point for future research. Furthermore, possible interrelations between the improvement of attentional control and emotion regulation skills are discussed.

Challenges in defining an optimal approach to formula-based allocations of public health funds in the United States.

PubMed

Buehler, James W; Holtgrave, David R

2007-03-29

Controversy and debate can arise whenever public health agencies determine how program funds should be allocated among constituent jurisdictions. Two common strategies for making such allocations are expert review of competitive applications and the use of funding formulas. Despite widespread use of funding formulas by public health agencies in the United States, formula allocation strategies in public health have been subject to relatively little formal scrutiny, with the notable exception of the attention focused on formula funding of HIV care programs. To inform debates and deliberations in the selection of a formula-based approach, we summarize key challenges to formula-based funding, based on prior reviews of federal programs in the United States. The primary challenge lies in identifying data sources and formula calculation methods that both reflect and serve program objectives, with or without adjustments for variations in the cost of delivering services, the availability of local resources, capacity, or performance. Simplicity and transparency are major advantages of formula-based allocations, but these advantages can be offset if formula-based allocations are perceived to under- or over-fund some jurisdictions, which may result from how guaranteed minimum funding levels are set or from "hold-harmless" provisions intended to blunt the effects of changes in formula design or random variations in source data. While fairness is considered an advantage of formula-based allocations, the design of a formula may implicitly reflect unquestioned values concerning equity versus equivalence in setting funding policies. Whether or how past or projected trends are taken into account can also have substantial impacts on allocations. Insufficient attention has been focused on how the approach to designing funding formulas in public health should differ for treatment or service versus prevention programs. Further evaluations of formula-based versus competitive allocation methods are needed to promote the optimal use of public health funds. In the meantime, those who use formula-based strategies to allocate funds should be familiar with the nuances of this approach.

Metabolic correlates of learning disability.

PubMed

Nyhan, W L; Wulfeck, B B; Tallal, P; Marsden, D L

1989-01-01

To summarize, the neuropsychologic findings in MSUD and MMA children in both groups demonstrated deficits in cognitive/language areas, but interesting individual differences existed. For example, a marked contrast in abilities existed between NT and GV, even taking into account the age difference between these children with MSUD. While NT's general intellectual functioning was within the low-average range, GV was severely impaired. In more specific areas of cognitive functioning, NT had an uneven performance profile with areas of strengths and weaknesses, while GV evidenced a flat profile with significant impairment in all areas. NT demonstrated mild delay in visual-spatial processing, articulation development, motor-speech abilities, and selective attention and concentration; however, his language and psychosocial development were within the broad range of normality. In contrast, GV exhibited severe dysfunction in speech, language, and perceptual/conceptual development. The three children with MMA also exhibited a range of disabilities in cognitive functioning. TJ and SH contrasted in the degree of developmental delay across language and cognitive domains. Both were distractible and exhibited very short attention spans but there was a measurable difference in the extent of their speech, language, visual-spatial development. CH was markedly delayed in all areas of cognitive development, which is consistent with global retardation. The severity of her disease and its probable impact on brain development were undoubtedly related to her intellectual impairment. These datasets illustrate the challenges we face, because within each group we see a range of impairment. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that our efforts to relate metabolic, anatomic and neuropsychologic findings for such children will lead to a better understanding of these disorders. We are hopeful that this will result in new advances in diagnosis and intervention, which will ultimately improve the prognosis for cognitive development. In summary, a multidisciplinary center has been established at UCSD to study the neurologic basis of disorders of language, learning and behavior in infants and children. The center draws together a group of researchers from many fields including neurology, biochemistry, pediatrics, cognitive and developmental neuropsychology, psycholinguistics, neurophysiology and communicative disorders. Because of the diverse interests and expertise of our group, it is hoped to forge a synthesis of the behavioral and neurosciences to study populations of children with a variety of neurologic, metabolic, and language/learning disorders. Disorders currently under study include Lesch-Nyhan disease, oculocutaneous tyrosinemia, propionic acidemia, carnitine palmityl transferase deficiency, Schwachman-Diamond syndrome, histidinemia, Hartnup disease, citrullinemia, galactosemia, maple syrup urine disease, and methylmalonic acidemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Family Resource Allocation after Firstborns Leave Home: Implications for Secondborns' Academic Functioning.

PubMed

Jensen, Alexander C; Whiteman, Shawn D; Bernard, Julia M; McHale, Susan M

2017-09-01

This study assessed secondborn adolescents' perceptions of changes in the allocation of family resources following their firstborn siblings' departure from home after high school, and whether perceived changes were related to changes over 1 year in secondborns' academic functioning. Participants were secondborn siblings (mean age = 16.58, SD = 0.91) from 115 families in which the older sibling had left the family home in the previous year. Allocation of resources was measured via coded qualitative interviews. Most (77%) secondborns reported increases in at least one type of family resource (i.e., parental companionship, attention, material goods), and many reported an increase in multiple types of resources in the year following their older sibling's departure. Consistent with resource dilution theory, perceptions of increases in fathers' companionship, fathers' attention, and mothers' companionship were related to improvements over time in secondborns' academic functioning. © 2015 Family Process Institute.

Sleep deprivation alters functioning within the neural network underlying the covert orienting of attention.

PubMed

Mander, Bryce A; Reid, Kathryn J; Davuluri, Vijay K; Small, Dana M; Parrish, Todd B; Mesulam, M-Marsel; Zee, Phyllis C; Gitelman, Darren R

2008-06-27

One function of spatial attention is to enable goal-directed interactions with the environment through the allocation of neural resources to motivationally relevant parts of space. Studies have shown that responses are enhanced when spatial attention is predictively biased towards locations where significant events are expected to occur. Previous studies suggest that the ability to bias attention predictively is related to posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) activation [Small, D.M., et al., 2003. The posterior cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex mediate the anticipatory allocation of spatial attention. Neuroimage 18, 633-41]. Sleep deprivation (SD) impairs selective attention and reduces PCC activity [Thomas, M., et al., 2000. Neural basis of alertness and cognitive performance impairments during sleepiness. I. Effects of 24 h of sleep deprivation on waking human regional brain activity. J. Sleep Res. 9, 335-352]. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that SD would affect PCC function and alter the ability to predictively allocate spatial attention. Seven healthy, young adults underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) following normal rest and 34-36 h of SD while performing a task in which attention was shifted in response to peripheral targets preceded by spatially informative (valid), misleading (invalid), or uninformative (neutral) cues. When rested, but not when sleep-deprived, subjects responded more quickly to targets that followed valid cues than those after neutral or invalid cues. Brain activity during validly cued trials with a reaction time benefit was compared to activity in trials with no benefit. PCC activation was greater during trials with a reaction time benefit following normal rest. In contrast, following SD, reaction time benefits were associated with activation in the left intraparietal sulcus, a region associated with receptivity to stimuli at unexpected locations. These changes may render sleep-deprived individuals less able to anticipate the locations of upcoming events, and more susceptible to distraction by stimuli at irrelevant locations.

Component processes underlying future thinking.

PubMed

D'Argembeau, Arnaud; Ortoleva, Claudia; Jumentier, Sabrina; Van der Linden, Martial

2010-09-01

This study sought to investigate the component processes underlying the ability to imagine future events, using an individual-differences approach. Participants completed several tasks assessing different aspects of future thinking (i.e., fluency, specificity, amount of episodic details, phenomenology) and were also assessed with tasks and questionnaires measuring various component processes that have been hypothesized to support future thinking (i.e., executive processes, visual-spatial processing, relational memory processing, self-consciousness, and time perspective). The main results showed that executive processes were correlated with various measures of future thinking, whereas visual-spatial processing abilities and time perspective were specifically related to the number of sensory descriptions reported when specific future events were imagined. Furthermore, individual differences in self-consciousness predicted the subjective feeling of experiencing the imagined future events. These results suggest that future thinking involves a collection of processes that are related to different facets of future-event representation.

Exploring the impact of phonological awareness, visual-spatial working memory, and preschool quantity-number competencies on mathematics achievement in elementary school: findings from a 3-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Krajewski, Kristin; Schneider, Wolfgang

2009-08-01

This longitudinal study explored the importance of kindergarten measures of phonological awareness, working memory, and quantity-number competencies (QNC) for predicting mathematical school achievement in third graders (mean age 8 years 8 months). It was found that the impact of phonological awareness and visual-spatial working memory, assessed at 5 years of age, was mediated by early QNC, which predicted math achievement in third grade. Importantly, and confirming our isolated number words hypothesis, phonological awareness had no impact on higher numerical competencies (i.e., when number words needed to be linked with quantities [QNC Level II and above]) but predicted basic numerical competencies (i.e., when number words were isolated from quantities [QNC Level I]), explaining the moderate relationship between early literacy development and the development of mathematical competencies.

More Than the Verbal Stimulus Matters: Visual Attention in Language Assessment for People With Aphasia Using Multiple-Choice Image Displays

PubMed Central

Ivanova, Maria V.; Hallowell, Brooke

2017-01-01

Purpose Language comprehension in people with aphasia (PWA) is frequently evaluated using multiple-choice displays: PWA are asked to choose the image that best corresponds to the verbal stimulus in a display. When a nontarget image is selected, comprehension failure is assumed. However, stimulus-driven factors unrelated to linguistic comprehension may influence performance. In this study we explore the influence of physical image characteristics of multiple-choice image displays on visual attention allocation by PWA. Method Eye fixations of 41 PWA were recorded while they viewed 40 multiple-choice image sets presented with and without verbal stimuli. Within each display, 3 images (majority images) were the same and 1 (singleton image) differed in terms of 1 image characteristic. The mean proportion of fixation duration (PFD) allocated across majority images was compared against the PFD allocated to singleton images. Results PWA allocated significantly greater PFD to the singleton than to the majority images in both nonverbal and verbal conditions. Those with greater severity of comprehension deficits allocated greater PFD to nontarget singleton images in the verbal condition. Conclusion When using tasks that rely on multiple-choice displays and verbal stimuli, one cannot assume that verbal stimuli will override the effect of visual-stimulus characteristics. PMID:28520866

First-graders' allocation of attentional resources in an emotional Stroop task: The role of heart period variability and classroom climate.

PubMed

Scrimin, Sara; Moscardino, Ughetta; Mason, Lucia

2018-06-11

Children's ability to remain focused on a task despite the presence of emotionally salient distractors in the environment is crucial for successful learning and academic performance. This study investigated first-graders' allocation of attentional resources in the presence of distracting emotional, school-related social interaction stimuli. Moreover, we examined whether such attentional processes were influenced by students' self-regulation, as indexed by heart period variability, observed classroom climate, or their interaction. Seventy-two-first graders took part in the study. To assess allocation of attentional resources, students' reaction times on an emotional Stroop task were registered by recording response times to colour frames placed around pictures of distracting emotional, school-related social interaction stimuli (i.e., emotional interference index). Moreover, heart period variability was measured by recording children's electrocardiogram at rest during an individual session, whereas classroom climate was observed during class activities by a trained researcher. Images representing negative social interactions required greater attentional resources than images depicting positive ones. Heart period variability and classroom climate were each significantly and independently associated with the emotional interference index. A significant interaction also emerged, indicating that among children experiencing a negative classroom climate, those who had a higher basal heart period variability (higher self-regulation) were less distracted by negative emotional material and remained more focused on a task compared to those with lower heart period variability (lower self-regulation). Negative interactions require greater attentional resources than positive scenes. Moreover, with a negative classroom climate, higher basal heart period variability is a protective factor. Implications for theory and practice are discussed. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

The effect of spatial organization of targets and distractors on the capacity to selectively memorize objects in visual short-term memory.

PubMed

Abbes, Aymen Ben; Gavault, Emmanuelle; Ripoll, Thierry

2014-01-01

We conducted a series of experiments to explore how the spatial configuration of objects influences the selection and the processing of these objects in a visual short-term memory task. We designed a new experiment in which participants had to memorize 4 targets presented among 4 distractors. Targets were cued during the presentation of distractor objects. Their locations varied according to 4 spatial configurations. From the first to the last configuration, the distance between targets' locations was progressively increased. The results revealed a high capacity to select and memorize targets embedded among distractors even when targets were extremely distant from each other. This capacity is discussed in relation to the unitary conception of attention, models of split attention, and the competitive interaction model. Finally, we propose that the spatial dispersion of objects has different effects on attentional allocation and processing stages. Thus, when targets are extremely distant from each other, attentional allocation becomes more difficult while processing becomes easier. This finding implicates that these 2 aspects of attention need to be more clearly distinguished in future research.

Spontaneous attention to faces in Asperger syndrome using ecologically valid static stimuli.

PubMed

Hanley, Mary; McPhillips, Martin; Mulhern, Gerry; Riby, Deborah M

2013-11-01

Previous eye tracking research on the allocation of attention to social information by individuals with autism spectrum disorders is equivocal and may be in part a consequence of variation in stimuli used between studies. The current study explored attention allocation to faces, and within faces, by individuals with Asperger syndrome using a range of static stimuli where faces were either viewed in isolation or viewed in the context of a social scene. Results showed that faces were viewed typically by the individuals with Asperger syndrome when presented in isolation, but attention to the eyes was significantly diminished in comparison to age and IQ-matched typical viewers when faces were viewed as part of social scenes. We show that when using static stimuli, there is evidence of atypicality for individuals with Asperger syndrome depending on the extent of social context. Our findings shed light on the previous explanations of gaze behaviour that have emphasised the role of movement in atypicalities of social attention in autism spectrum disorders and highlight the importance of consideration of the realistic portrayal of social information for future studies.

Eighteen-month-olds' ability to make gaze predictions following distraction or a long delay.

PubMed

Forssman, Linda; Bohlin, Gunilla; von Hofsten, Claes

2014-05-01

The abilities to flexibly allocate attention, select between conflicting stimuli, and make anticipatory gaze movements are important for young children's exploration and learning about their environment. These abilities constitute voluntary control of attention and show marked improvements in the second year of a child's life. Here we investigate the effects of visual distraction and delay on 18-month-olds' ability to predict the location of an occluded target in an experiment that requires switching of attention, and compare their performance to that of adults. Our results demonstrate that by 18 months of age children can readily overcome a previously learned response, even under a condition that involves visual distraction, but have difficulties with correctly updating their prediction when presented with a longer time delay. Further, the experiment shows that, overall, the 18-month-olds' allocation of visual attention is similar to that of adults, the primary difference being that adults demonstrate a superior ability to maintain attention on task and update their predictions over a longer time period. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Why are there eccentricity effects in visual search? Visual and attentional hypotheses.

PubMed

Wolfe, J M; O'Neill, P; Bennett, S C

1998-01-01

In standard visual search experiments, observers search for a target item among distracting items. The locations of target items are generally random within the display and ignored as a factor in data analysis. Previous work has shown that targets presented near fixation are, in fact, found more efficiently than are targets presented at more peripheral locations. This paper proposes that the primary cause of this "eccentricity effect" (Carrasco, Evert, Chang, & Katz, 1995) is an attentional bias that allocates attention preferentially to central items. The first four experiments dealt with the possibility that visual, and not attentional, factors underlie the eccentricity effect. They showed that the eccentricity effect cannot be accounted for by the peripheral reduction in visual sensitivity, peripheral crowding, or cortical magnification. Experiment 5 tested the attention allocation model and also showed that RT x set size effects can be independent of eccentricity effects. Experiment 6 showed that the effective set size in a search task depends, in part, on the eccentricity of the target because observers search from fixation outward.

Implicit negative affect predicts attention to sad faces beyond self-reported depressive symptoms in healthy individuals: An eye-tracking study.

PubMed

Bodenschatz, Charlott Maria; Skopinceva, Marija; Kersting, Anette; Quirin, Markus; Suslow, Thomas

2018-04-04

Cognitive theories of depression assume biased attention towards mood-congruent information as a central vulnerability and maintaining factor. Among other symptoms, depression is characterized by excessive negative affect (NA). Yet, little is known about the impact of naturally occurring NA on the allocation of attention to emotional information. The study investigates how implicit and explicit NA as well as self-reported depressive symptoms predict attentional biases in a sample of healthy individuals (N = 104). Attentional biases were assessed using eye-tracking during a free viewing task in which images of sad, angry, happy and neutral faces were shown simultaneously. Participants' implicit affectivity was measured indirectly using the Implicit Positive and Negative Affect Test. Questionnaires were administered to assess actual and habitual explicit NA and presence of depressive symptoms. Higher levels of depressive symptoms were associated with sustained attention to sad faces and reduced attention to happy faces. Implicit but not explicit NA significantly predicted gaze behavior towards sad faces independently from depressive symptoms. The present study supports the idea that naturally occurring implicit NA is associated with attention allocation to dysphoric facial expression. The findings demonstrate the utility of implicit affectivity measures in studying individual differences in depression-relevant attentional biases and cognitive vulnerability. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relevance of a neurophysiological marker of attention allocation for children's learning-related behaviors and academic performance.

PubMed

Willner, Cynthia J; Gatzke-Kopp, Lisa M; Bierman, Karen L; Greenberg, Mark T; Segalowitz, Sidney J

2015-08-01

Learning-related behaviors are important for school success. Socioeconomic disadvantage confers risk for less adaptive learning-related behaviors at school entry, yet substantial variability in school readiness exists within socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. Investigation of neurophysiological systems associated with learning-related behaviors in high-risk populations could illuminate resilience processes. This study examined the relevance of a neurophysiological measure of controlled attention allocation, amplitude of the P3b event-related potential, for learning-related behaviors and academic performance in a sample of socioeconomically disadvantaged kindergarteners. The sample consisted of 239 children from an urban, low-income community, approximately half of whom exhibited behavior problems at school entry (45% aggressive/oppositional; 64% male; 69% African American, 21% Hispanic). Results revealed that higher P3b amplitudes to target stimuli in a go/no-go task were associated with more adaptive learning-related behaviors in kindergarten. Furthermore, children's learning-related behaviors in kindergarten mediated a positive indirect effect of P3b amplitude on growth in academic performance from kindergarten to 1st grade. Given that P3b amplitude reflects attention allocation processes, these findings build on the scientific justification for interventions targeting young children's attention skills in order to promote effective learning-related behaviors and academic achievement within socioeconomically disadvantaged populations. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

How and When Accentuation Influences Temporally Selective Attention and Subsequent Semantic Processing during On-Line Spoken Language Comprehension: An ERP Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Xiao-qing; Ren, Gui-qin

2012-01-01

An event-related brain potentials (ERP) experiment was carried out to investigate how and when accentuation influences temporally selective attention and subsequent semantic processing during on-line spoken language comprehension, and how the effect of accentuation on attention allocation and semantic processing changed with the degree of…

Attention Switching and Multimedia Learning: The Impact of Executive Resources on the Integrative Comprehension of Texts and Pictures

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baadte, Christiane; Rasch, Thorsten; Honstein, Helena

2015-01-01

The ability to flexibly allocate attention to goal-relevant information is pivotal for the completion of high-level cognitive processes. For instance, in comprehending illustrated texts, the reader permanently has to switch the attentional focus between the text and the corresponding picture in order to extract relevant information from both…

Further evidence of auditory extinction in aphasia.

PubMed

Marshall, Rebecca Shisler; Basilakos, Alexandra; Love-Myers, Kim

2013-02-01

Preliminary research (Shisler, 2005) suggests that auditory extinction in individuals with aphasia (IWA) may be connected to binding and attention. In this study, the authors expanded on previous findings on auditory extinction to determine the source of extinction deficits in IWA. Seventeen IWA (M(age) = 53.19 years) and 17 neurologically intact controls (M(age) = 55.18 years) participated. Auditory stimuli were spoken letters presented in a free-field listening environment. Stimuli were presented in single-stimulus stimulation (SSS) or double-simultaneous stimulation (DSS) trials across 5 conditions designed to determine whether extinction is related to binding, inefficient attention resource allocation, or overall deficits in attention. All participants completed all experimental conditions. Significant extinction was demonstrated only by IWA when sounds were different, providing further evidence of auditory extinction. However, binding requirements did not appear to influence the IWA's performance. Results indicate that, for IWA, auditory extinction may not be attributed to a binding deficit or inefficient attention resource allocation because of equivalent performance across all 5 conditions. Rather, overall attentional resources may be influential. Future research in aphasia should explore the effect of the stimulus presentation in addition to the continued study of attention treatment.

Uncertainty is associated with increased selective attention and sustained stimulus processing.

PubMed

Dieterich, Raoul; Endrass, Tanja; Kathmann, Norbert

2016-06-01

Uncertainty about future threat has been found to be associated with an overestimation of threat probability and is hypothesized to elicit additional allocation of attention. We used event-related potentials to examine uncertainty-related dynamics in attentional allocation, exploiting brain potentials' high temporal resolution and sensitivity to attention. Thirty participants performed a picture-viewing task in which cues indicated the subsequent picture valence. A certain-neutral and a certain-aversive cue accurately predicted subsequent picture valence, whereas an uncertain cue did not. Participants overestimated the effective frequency of aversive pictures following the uncertain cue, both during and after the task, signifying expectancy and covariation biases, and they tended to express lower subjective valences for aversive pictures presented after the uncertain cue. Pictures elicited increased P2 and LPP amplitudes when their valence could not be predicted from the cue. For the LPP, this effect was more pronounced in response to neutral pictures. Uncertainty appears to enhance the engagement of early phasic and sustained attention for uncertainly cued targets. Thus, defensive motivation related to uncertainty about future threat elicits specific attentional dynamics implicating prioritization at various processing stages, especially for nonthreatening stimuli that tend to violate expectations.

Levetiracetam reduces abnormal network activations in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Wandschneider, Britta; Stretton, Jason; Sidhu, Meneka; Centeno, Maria; Kozák, Lajos R; Symms, Mark; Thompson, Pamela J; Duncan, John S; Koepp, Matthias J

2014-10-21

We used functional MRI (fMRI) and a left-lateralizing verbal and a right-lateralizing visual-spatial working memory (WM) paradigm to investigate the effects of levetiracetam (LEV) on cognitive network activations in patients with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). In a retrospective study, we compared task-related fMRI activations and deactivations in 53 patients with left and 54 patients with right TLE treated with (59) or without (48) LEV. In patients on LEV, activation patterns were correlated with the daily LEV dose. We isolated task- and syndrome-specific effects. Patients on LEV showed normalization of functional network deactivations in the right temporal lobe in right TLE during the right-lateralizing visual-spatial task and in the left temporal lobe in left TLE during the verbal task. In a post hoc analysis, a significant dose-dependent effect was demonstrated in right TLE during the visual-spatial WM task: the lower the LEV dose, the greater the abnormal right hippocampal activation. At a less stringent threshold (p < 0.05, uncorrected for multiple comparisons), a similar dose effect was observed in left TLE during the verbal task: both hippocampi were more abnormally activated in patients with lower doses, but more prominently on the left. Our findings suggest that LEV is associated with restoration of normal activation patterns. Longitudinal studies are necessary to establish whether the neural patterns translate to drug response. This study provides Class III evidence that in patients with drug-resistant TLE, levetiracetam has a dose-dependent facilitation of deactivation of mesial temporal structures. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

Understanding Immersivity: Image Generation and Transformation Processes in 3D Immersive Environments

PubMed Central

Kozhevnikov, Maria; Dhond, Rupali P.

2012-01-01

Most research on three-dimensional (3D) visual-spatial processing has been conducted using traditional non-immersive 2D displays. Here we investigated how individuals generate and transform mental images within 3D immersive (3DI) virtual environments, in which the viewers perceive themselves as being surrounded by a 3D world. In Experiment 1, we compared participants’ performance on the Shepard and Metzler (1971) mental rotation (MR) task across the following three types of visual presentation environments; traditional 2D non-immersive (2DNI), 3D non-immersive (3DNI – anaglyphic glasses), and 3DI (head mounted display with position and head orientation tracking). In Experiment 2, we examined how the use of different backgrounds affected MR processes within the 3DI environment. In Experiment 3, we compared electroencephalogram data recorded while participants were mentally rotating visual-spatial images presented in 3DI vs. 2DNI environments. Overall, the findings of the three experiments suggest that visual-spatial processing is different in immersive and non-immersive environments, and that immersive environments may require different image encoding and transformation strategies than the two other non-immersive environments. Specifically, in a non-immersive environment, participants may utilize a scene-based frame of reference and allocentric encoding whereas immersive environments may encourage the use of a viewer-centered frame of reference and egocentric encoding. These findings also suggest that MR performed in laboratory conditions using a traditional 2D computer screen may not reflect spatial processing as it would occur in the real world. PMID:22908003

Prediction of pilot reserve attention capacity during air-to-air target tracking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Onstott, E. D.; Faulkner, W. H.

1977-01-01

Reserve attention capacity of a pilot was calculated using a pilot model that allocates exclusive model attention according to the ranking of task urgency functions whose variables are tracking error and error rate. The modeled task consisted of tracking a maneuvering target aircraft both vertically and horizontally, and when possible, performing a diverting side task which was simulated by the precise positioning of an electrical stylus and modeled as a task of constant urgency in the attention allocation algorithm. The urgency of the single loop vertical task is simply the magnitude of the vertical tracking error, while the multiloop horizontal task requires a nonlinear urgency measure of error and error rate terms. Comparison of model results with flight simulation data verified the computed model statistics of tracking error of both axes, lateral and longitudinal stick amplitude and rate, and side task episodes. Full data for the simulation tracking statistics as well as the explicit equations and structure of the urgency function multiaxis pilot model are presented.

From Districts to Schools: The Distribution of Resources across Schools in Big City School Districts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubenstein, Ross; Schwartz, Amy Ellen; Stiefel, Leanna; Amor, Hella Bel Hadj

2007-01-01

While the distribution of resources across school districts is well studied, relatively little attention has been paid to how resources are allocated to individual schools inside those districts. This paper explores the determinants of resource allocation across schools in large districts based on factors that reflect differential school costs or…

Multiple Intelligences in Action.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Bruce

1992-01-01

Describes the investigation of the effects of a four-step model program used with third through fifth grade students to implement Gardener's concepts of seven human intelligences--linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, musical, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and interpersonal intelligence--into daily learning. (BB)

Prenatal Phthalate, Triclosan, and Bisphenol A Exposures and Child Visual-Spatial Abilities

PubMed Central

Braun, Joseph M.; Bellinger, David C.; Hauser, Russ; Wright, Robert O.; Chen, Aimin; Calafat, Antonia M.; Yolton, Kimberly; Lanphear, Bruce P.

2016-01-01

Introduction During fetal development, sex steroids influence sexually dimorphic behaviors, such as visual-spatial abilities. Thus, endocrine disrupting chemicals that impact sex steroids during gestation may affect these behaviors. Objective We investigated the relationship between prenatal urinary phthalate metabolite, triclosan, and BPA concentrations and visual-spatial abilities in a prospective cohort of 198 mother-child dyads. Methods Data are from a prospective cohort in Cincinnati, OH (HOME Study). We measured nine phthalate metabolites, triclosan, and BPA in maternal urine samples collected at 16 and 26 weeks of gestation. We assessed children’s visual-spatial abilities at 8 years of age using the Virtual Morris Water Maze (VMWM), a computerized version of the rodent Morris Water Maze. We quantified the covariate-adjusted change in the time or distance to complete the VMWM and time spent in the correct quadrant during a probe trial with an interquartile range increase in chemical concentrations using linear mixed models and linear regression, respectively. Results Boys completed the VMWM faster (4.1 seconds; 95% CI:−7.1, −1.2) and in less distance (1.4 units; 95% CI:−2.8, 0) than girls. Overall, children with higher mono-n-butyl (MnBP), mono- benzyl (MBzP), and mono-carboxypropyl phthalate concentrations completed the VMWM in less time and distance than children with lower concentrations. For example, children with higher MnBP concentrations completed the VMWM in 0.9 less distance units (95% CI:−1.8, −0.0). Child sex modified the association between MnBP and VMWM performance. In girls, higher MnBP concentrations were associated with longer time (1.7 seconds; 95% CI: −0.7, 4.1) and shorter distance (−1.7 units; 95% CI: −2.8, −0.5), whereas in boys, it was associated with shorter time (−3.0 seconds; 95% CI:−5.6, −0.4), but not distance (−0.1 units; 95% CI:1.4, 1.0). Other phthalate metabolites, triclosan, and BPA were not associated with VMWM performance, and sex did not consistently modify these associations. Conclusions In this cohort, greater prenatal urinary concentrations of some phthalate metabolites were associated with improved VMWM performance, particularly among boys. Future studies should confirm these findings and determine if phthalates affect other hormonally sensitive aspects of child neurobehavior. PMID:27888119

Leftward Bias of Visual Attention in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Receiving Dialysis: A Neglected Phenomenon.

PubMed

Mańkowska, Aleksandra; Heilman, Kenneth M; Williamson, John B; Biedunkiewicz, Bogdan; Dębska-Ślizień, Alicja; Harciarek, Michał

2017-12-01

Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) who are receiving dialysis often have cognitive and behavioral changes, including impairments in sustained attention. Impairments in sustained attention appear to be the consequence of right hemisphere dysfunction. Right hemisphere brain networks are also important for the allocation of spatial attention. Therefore, the objective of this study was to learn whether patients with ESRD receiving dialysis might also have a spatial attentional bias. Eighteen nondemented patients with ESRD receiving dialysis but without any neurologic diseases (age range: 20 to 60 years) and 18 demographically matched healthy controls participated in this study. Participants performed a standard line bisection task using 24 horizontal lines (24 cm long and 2 mm thick) that were sequentially placed at eye level on a white board. Patients receiving dialysis had a significantly greater leftward bias than healthy controls. Patients with ESRD receiving dialysis appear to have an impaired ability to correctly allocate their spatial attention (spatial neglect). Although the reason for the patients' leftward bias needs to be elucidated, ESRD and/or dialysis may have induced right frontal-subcortical dysfunction that disinhibited the right parietal lobe, producing a left-sided attentional bias. Further studies are needed to test this hypothesis.

Zooming in on the cause of the perceptual load effect in the go/no-go paradigm.

PubMed

Chen, Zhe; Cave, Kyle R

2016-08-01

Perceptual load theory (Lavie, 2005) claims that attentional capacity that is not used for the current task is allocated to irrelevant distractors. It predicts that if the attentional demands of the current task are high, distractor interference will be low. One particularly powerful demonstration of perceptual load effects on distractor processing relies on a go/no-go cue that is interpreted by either simple feature detection or feature conjunction (Lavie, 1995). However, a possible alternative interpretation of these effects is that the differential degree of distractor processing is caused by how broadly attention is allocated (attentional zoom) rather than to perceptual load. In 4 experiments, we show that when stimuli are arranged to equalize the extent of spatial attention across conditions, distractor interference varies little whether cues are defined by a simple feature or a conjunction, and that the typical perceptual load effect emerges only when attentional zoom can covary with perceptual load. These results suggest that attentional zoom can account for the differential degree of distractor processing traditionally attributed to perceptual load in the go/no-go paradigm. They also provide new insight into how different factors interact to control distractor interference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Attention and amygdala activity: an fMRI study with spider pictures in spider phobia.

PubMed

Alpers, Georg W; Gerdes, Antje B M; Lagarie, Bernadette; Tabbert, Katharina; Vaitl, Dieter; Stark, Rudolf

2009-06-01

Facilitated detection of threatening visual cues is thought to be adaptive. In theory, detection of threat cues should activate the amygdala independently from allocation of attention. However, previous studies using emotional facial expressions as well as phobic cues yielded contradictory results. We used fMRI to examine whether the allocation of attention to components of superimposed spider and bird displays modulates amygdala activation. Nineteen spider-phobic women were instructed to identify either a moving or a stationary animal in briefly presented double-exposure displays. Amygdala activation followed a dose-response relationship: Compared to congruent neutral displays (two birds), amygdala activation was most pronounced in response to congruent phobic displays (two spiders) and less but still significant in response to mixed displays (spider and bird) when attention was focused on the phobic component. When attention was focused on the neutral component, mixed displays did not result in significant amygdala activation. This was confirmed in a significant parametric graduation of the amygdala activation in the order of congruent phobic displays, mixed displays with attention focus on the spider, mixed displays with focus on the bird and congruent neutral displays. These results challenge the notion that amygdala activation in response to briefly presented phobic cues is independent from attention.

Social communication with virtual agents: The effects of body and gaze direction on attention and emotional responding in human observers.

PubMed

Marschner, Linda; Pannasch, Sebastian; Schulz, Johannes; Graupner, Sven-Thomas

2015-08-01

In social communication, the gaze direction of other persons provides important information to perceive and interpret their emotional response. Previous research investigated the influence of gaze by manipulating mutual eye contact. Therefore, gaze and body direction have been changed as a whole, resulting in only congruent gaze and body directions (averted or directed) of another person. Here, we aimed to disentangle these effects by using short animated sequences of virtual agents posing with either direct or averted body or gaze. Attention allocation by means of eye movements, facial muscle response, and emotional experience to agents of different gender and facial expressions were investigated. Eye movement data revealed longer fixation durations, i.e., a stronger allocation of attention, when gaze and body direction were not congruent with each other or when both were directed towards the observer. This suggests that direct interaction as well as incongruous signals increase the demands of attentional resources in the observer. For the facial muscle response, only the reaction of muscle zygomaticus major revealed an effect of body direction, expressed by stronger activity in response to happy expressions for direct compared to averted gaze when the virtual character's body was directed towards the observer. Finally, body direction also influenced the emotional experience ratings towards happy expressions. While earlier findings suggested that mutual eye contact is the main source for increased emotional responding and attentional allocation, the present results indicate that direction of the virtual agent's body and head also plays a minor but significant role. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Clutter in electronic medical records: examining its performance and attentional costs using eye tracking.

PubMed

Moacdieh, Nadine; Sarter, Nadine

2015-06-01

The objective was to use eye tracking to trace the underlying changes in attention allocation associated with the performance effects of clutter, stress, and task difficulty in visual search and noticing tasks. Clutter can degrade performance in complex domains, yet more needs to be known about the associated changes in attention allocation, particularly in the presence of stress and for different tasks. Frequently used and relatively simple eye tracking metrics do not effectively capture the various effects of clutter, which is critical for comprehensively analyzing clutter and developing targeted, real-time countermeasures. Electronic medical records (EMRs) were chosen as the application domain for this research. Clutter, stress, and task difficulty were manipulated, and physicians' performance on search and noticing tasks was recorded. Several eye tracking metrics were used to trace attention allocation throughout those tasks, and subjective data were gathered via a debriefing questionnaire. Clutter degraded performance in terms of response time and noticing accuracy. These decrements were largely accentuated by high stress and task difficulty. Eye tracking revealed the underlying attentional mechanisms, and several display-independent metrics were shown to be significant indicators of the effects of clutter. Eye tracking provides a promising means to understand in detail (offline) and prevent (in real time) major performance breakdowns due to clutter. Display designers need to be aware of the risks of clutter in EMRs and other complex displays and can use the identified eye tracking metrics to evaluate and/or adjust their display. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Unconscious Semantic Activation Depends on Feature-Specific Attention Allocation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan; Everaert, Tom; Hermans, Dirk

2012-01-01

We examined whether semantic activation by subliminally presented stimuli is dependent upon the extent to which participants assign attention to specific semantic stimulus features and stimulus dimensions. Participants pronounced visible target words that were preceded by briefly presented, masked prime words. Both affective and non-affective…

Updating the premotor theory: the allocation of attention is not always accompanied by saccade preparation.

PubMed

Belopolsky, Artem V; Theeuwes, Jan

2012-08-01

There is an ongoing controversy regarding the relationship between covert attention and saccadic eye movements. While there is quite some evidence that the preparation of a saccade is obligatory preceded by a shift of covert attention, the reverse is not clear: Is allocation of attention always accompanied by saccade preparation? Recently, a shifting and maintenance account was proposed suggesting that shifting and maintenance components of covert attention differ in their relation to the oculomotor system. Specifically, it was argued that a shift of covert attention is always accompanied by activation of the oculomotor program, while maintaining covert attention at a location can be accompanied either by activation or suppression of oculomotor program, depending on the probability of executing an eye movement to the attended location. In the present study we tested whether there is such an obligatory coupling between shifting of attention and saccade preparation and how quickly saccade preparation gets suppressed. The results showed that attention shifting was always accompanied by saccade preparation whenever covert attention had to be shifted during visual search, as well as in response to exogenous or endogenous cues. However, for the endogenous cues the saccade program to the attended location was suppressed very soon after the attention shift was completed. The current findings support the shifting and maintenance account and indicate that the premotor theory needs to be updated to include a shifting and maintenance component for the cases in which covert shifts of attention are made without the intention to execute a saccade. (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

Understanding Optimal Decision-Making in Wargaming III

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

attention - deficit / hyperactivity disorder assessed by the Keio version of the Wisconsin card sorting test. Brain and Development, 34(5), 354-359...immediate feedback regarding friendly, enemy, and total damage. In addition to latency response (LR), attention to feedback also was measured by...measures can detect poor attention allocation. This material is based upon work supported in part by the Army Research Office (62626- NS). The

Chandelier: Picturing Potential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tebbs, Trevor J.

2014-01-01

The author--artist, scientist, educator, and visual-spatial thinker--describes the genesis of, and provides insight into, an innovative, strength-based, visually dynamic computer-aided communication system called Chandelier©. This system is the powerful combination of a sophisticated, user-friendly software program and an organizational…

The Allocation of Federal Expenditures Among States

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, Maw Lin

1967-01-01

This study explores factors associated with the allocation offederal expenditures by states and examines the implications of theseexpenditures on the state by state distribution of incomes. Theallocation of federal expenditures is functionally oriented toward theobjectives for which various government programs are set up. Thegeographical distribution of federal expenditures, therefore, washistorically considered to be a problem incidental to governmentactivity. Because of this, relatively little attention was given tothe question of why some states receive more federal allocation thanothers. In addition, the implications of this pattern of allocationamong the several states have not been intensively investigated.

Resource Allocation with the Use of the Balanced Scorecard and the Triple Bottom Line in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Chi Hong

2007-01-01

In terms of the economic bottom line, effective school leaders are now supposed to pay close attention to two central tasks which involve managing resources and devising operational strategies in their action plans. Taking a postmodern viewpoint, the first part of this paper aims to discuss the significance of resource allocation in education and…

On the Role of Working Memory in Spatial Contextual Cueing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travis, Susan L.; Mattingley, Jason B.; Dux, Paul E.

2013-01-01

The human visual system receives more information than can be consciously processed. To overcome this capacity limit, we employ attentional mechanisms to prioritize task-relevant (target) information over less relevant (distractor) information. Regularities in the environment can facilitate the allocation of attention, as demonstrated by the…

Attention Guidance in Learning from a Complex Animation: Seeing Is Understanding?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Koning, Bjorn B.; Tabbers, Huib K.; Rikers, Remy M. J. P.; Paas, Fred

2010-01-01

To examine how visual attentional resources are allocated when learning from a complex animation about the cardiovascular system, eye movements were registered in the absence and presence of visual cues. Cognitive processing was assessed using cued retrospective reporting, whereas comprehension and transfer tests measured the quality of the…

Managerial Attention Patterns: A Micro-Behavioral Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sproull, Lee S.

This paper describes a study of managerial behavior in educational organizations that focused on managerial attention as an organizational coupling mechanism. Structured observation was used to collect minute-by-minute time allocation protocols for five first-line education program managers over 20 working days, and these protocols were analyzed…

Selective attention and response set in the Stroop task.

PubMed

Lamers, Martijn J M; Roelofs, Ardi; Rabeling-Keus, Inge M

2010-10-01

Response set membership contributes much to the interference in the color-word Stroop task. This may be due to selective allocation of attention to eligible responses or, alternatively, to greater inhibition of distractors that are not responses. In the present article, we report two experiments that were designed to adjudicate between these accounts. In Experiment 1, membership was manipulated on a trial-by-trial basis by cuing the possible responses for each trial. Response time (RT) was longer for distractors that corresponded to a cued, eligible response than to an ineligible one. This cuing effect was independent of the number of different responses. In Experiment 2, the distractor was cued on half the trials. Cuing the distractor decreased RTs on both incongruent and congruent trials. Vincentile analyses in both experiments revealed that the effects were constant throughout the entire RT distributions. These results suggest that response set effects arise because of selective allocation of attention to eligible responses.

An analysis of choice making in the assessment of young children with severe behavior problems.

PubMed

Harding, J W; Wacker, D P; Berg, W K; Cooper, L J; Asmus, J; Mlela, K; Muller, J

1999-01-01

We examined how positive and negative reinforcement influenced time allocation, occurrence of problem behavior, and completion of parent instructions during a concurrent choice assessment with 2 preschool-aged children who displayed severe problem behavior in their homes. The children were given a series of concurrent choice options that varied availability of parent attention, access to preferred toys, and presentation of parent instructions. The results showed that both children consistently allocated their time to choice areas that included parent attention when no instructions were presented. When parent attention choice areas included the presentation of instructions, the children displayed differential patterns of behavior that appeared to be influenced by the presence or absence of preferred toys. The results extended previous applications of reinforcer assessment procedures by analyzing the relative influence of both positive and negative reinforcement within a concurrent-operants paradigm.

Ambiguity produces attention shifts in category learning

PubMed Central

Orgaz, Cristina; Luque, David; Nelson, James Byron

2016-01-01

It has been suggested that people and nonhuman animals protect their knowledge from interference by shifting attention toward the context when presented with information that contradicts their previous beliefs. Despite that suggestion, no studies have directly measured changes in attention while participants are exposed to an interference treatment. In the present experiments, we adapted a dot-probe task to track participants’ attention to cues and contexts while they were completing a simple category learning task. The results support the hypothesis that interference produces a change in the allocation of attention to cues and contexts. PMID:26980780

Mental workload prediction based on attentional resource allocation and information processing.

PubMed

Xiao, Xu; Wanyan, Xiaoru; Zhuang, Damin

2015-01-01

Mental workload is an important component in complex human-machine systems. The limited applicability of empirical workload measures produces the need for workload modeling and prediction methods. In the present study, a mental workload prediction model is built on the basis of attentional resource allocation and information processing to ensure pilots' accuracy and speed in understanding large amounts of flight information on the cockpit display interface. Validation with an empirical study of an abnormal attitude recovery task showed that this model's prediction of mental workload highly correlated with experimental results. This mental workload prediction model provides a new tool for optimizing human factors interface design and reducing human errors.

Evidence for increased behavioral control by punishment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Furukawa, Emi; Alsop, Brent; Sowerby, Paula; Jensen, Stephanie; Tripp, Gail

2017-03-01

The behavioral sensitivity of children with ADHD to punishment has received limited theoretical and experimental attention. This study evaluated the effects of punishment on the response allocation of children with ADHD and typically developing children. Two hundred and ten children, 145 diagnosed with ADHD, completed an operant task in which they chose between playing two simultaneously available games. Reward was arranged symmetrically across the games under concurrent variable interval schedules. Asymmetric punishment schedules were superimposed; responses on one game were punished four times as often as responses on the other. Both groups allocated more of their responses to the less frequently punished alternative. Response bias increased significantly in the ADHD group during later trials, resulting in missed reward trials and reduced earnings. Punishment exerted greater control over the response allocation of children with ADHD with increased time on task. Children with ADHD appear more sensitive to the cumulative effects of punishment than typically developing children. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

The effect of spatial organization of targets and distractors on the capacity to selectively memorize objects in visual short-term memory

PubMed Central

Abbes, Aymen Ben; Gavault, Emmanuelle; Ripoll, Thierry

2014-01-01

We conducted a series of experiments to explore how the spatial configuration of objects influences the selection and the processing of these objects in a visual short-term memory task. We designed a new experiment in which participants had to memorize 4 targets presented among 4 distractors. Targets were cued during the presentation of distractor objects. Their locations varied according to 4 spatial configurations. From the first to the last configuration, the distance between targets’ locations was progressively increased. The results revealed a high capacity to select and memorize targets embedded among distractors even when targets were extremely distant from each other. This capacity is discussed in relation to the unitary conception of attention, models of split attention, and the competitive interaction model. Finally, we propose that the spatial dispersion of objects has different effects on attentional allocation and processing stages. Thus, when targets are extremely distant from each other, attentional allocation becomes more difficult while processing becomes easier. This finding implicates that these 2 aspects of attention need to be more clearly distinguished in future research. PMID:25339978

Allocation of Attentional Resources toward a Secondary Cognitive Task Leads to Compromised Ankle Proprioceptive Performance in Healthy Young Adults

PubMed Central

Yasuda, Kazuhiro; Iimura, Naoyuki; Iwata, Hiroyasu

2014-01-01

The objective of the present study was to determine whether increased attentional demands influence the assessment of ankle joint proprioceptive ability in young adults. We used a dual-task condition, in which participants performed an ankle ipsilateral position-matching task with and without a secondary serial auditory subtraction task during target angle encoding. Two experiments were performed with two different cohorts: one in which the auditory subtraction task was easy (experiment 1a) and one in which it was difficult (experiment 1b). The results showed that, compared with the single-task condition, participants had higher absolute error under dual-task conditions in experiment 1b. The reduction in position-matching accuracy with an attentionally demanding cognitive task suggests that allocation of attentional resources toward a difficult second task can lead to compromised ankle proprioceptive performance. Therefore, these findings indicate that the difficulty level of the cognitive task might be the possible critical factor that decreased accuracy of position-matching task. We conclude that increased attentional demand with difficult cognitive task does influence the assessment of ankle joint proprioceptive ability in young adults when measured using an ankle ipsilateral position-matching task. PMID:24523966

Spatial-attention and emotional evocation: line bisection performance and visual art emotional evocation.

PubMed

Drago, Valeria; Finney, Glen R; Foster, Paul S; Amengual, Alejandra; Jeong, Yong; Mizuno, Tomoiuki; Crucian, Gregory P; Heilman, Kenneth M

2008-03-01

Lesion studies demonstrate that the right temporal-parietal region (RTP) is important for mediating spatial attention. The RTP is also involved in emotional experiences that can be evoked by art. Normal people vary in their ability to allocate spatial attention, thus, people who can better allocate attention might also be more influenced by the emotional messages of the paintings (evocative impact). Seventeen healthy participants bisected an unlabeled 100mm line and their performance on this task was used to create two groups, individuals who were more (mALB) and less accurate (lALB). These participants also judged 10 paintings on five qualities, Evocative Impact, Aesthetics, Novelty, Technique, and Closure by marking a 100mm line from 1 (low degree) to 10 (high degree). An ANOVA indicated differences in accuracy on the line bisection (LB) between the two groups. Additional ANOVAs, using the quality ratings as the dependent measure, revealed that the mALB group scored the Evocative Impact greater than the lALB group. These results suggest that the differences in attentional bias between the two groups, as indicated by their LB performance, might influence their evocative impact or reactions and also be a 'barometer' of other RTP functions, including emotional processing.

The predictive value of aptitude assessment in laparoscopic surgery: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kramp, Kelvin H; van Det, Marc J; Hoff, Christiaan; Veeger, Nic J G M; ten Cate Hoedemaker, Henk O; Pierie, Jean-Pierre E N

2016-04-01

Current methods of assessing candidates for medical specialties that involve laparoscopic skills suffer from a lack of instruments to assess the ability to work in a minimally invasive surgery environment. A meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether aptitude assessment can be used to predict variability in the acquisition and performance of laparoscopic skills. PubMed, PsycINFO and Google Scholar were searched to November 2014 for published and unpublished studies reporting the measurement of a form of aptitude for laparoscopic skills. The quality of studies was assessed with QUADAS-2. Summary correlations were calculated using a random-effects model. Thirty-four studies were found to be eligible for inclusion; six of these studies used an operating room performance measurement. Laparoscopic skills correlated significantly with visual-spatial ability (r = 0.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25-0.39; p < 0.001), perceptual ability (r = 0.31, 95% CI 0.22-0.39; p < 0.001), psychomotor ability (r = 0.26, 95% CI 0.10-0.40; p = 0.003) and simulator-based assessment of aptitude (r = 0.64, 95% CI 0.52-0.73; p < 0.001). Three-dimensional dynamic visual-spatial ability showed a significantly higher correlation than intrinsic static visual-spatial ability (p = 0.024). In general, aptitude assessments are associated with laparoscopic skill level. Simulator-based assessment of aptitude appears to have the potential to represent a job sample and to enable the assessment of all forms of aptitude for laparoscopic surgery at once. A laparoscopy aptitude test can be a valuable additional tool in the assessment of candidates for medical specialties that require laparoscopic skills. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Beneficial effects of enriched environment following status epilepticus in immature rats.

PubMed

Faverjon, S; Silveira, D C; Fu, D D; Cha, B H; Akman, C; Hu, Y; Holmes, G L

2002-11-12

There is increasing evidence that enriching the environment can improve cognitive and motor deficits following a variety of brain injuries. Whether environmental enrichment can improve cognitive impairment following status epilepticus (SE) is not known. To determine whether the environment in which animals are raised influences cognitive function in normal rats and rats subjected to SE. Rats (n = 100) underwent lithium-pilocarpine-induced SE at postnatal (P) day 20 and were then placed in either an enriched environment consisting of a large play area with toys, climbing objects, and music, or in standard vivarium cages for 30 days. Control rats (n = 32) were handled similarly to the SE rats but received saline injections instead of lithium-pilocarpine. Rats were then tested in the water maze, a measure of visual-spatial memory. A subset of the rats were killed during exposure to the enriched or nonenriched environment and the brains examined for dentate granule cell neurogenesis using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) and phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element binding protein (pCREB) immunostaining, a brain transcription factor important in long-term memory. Both control and SE rats exposed to the enriched environment performed significantly better than the nonenriched group in the water maze. There was a significant increase in neurogenesis and pCREB immunostaining in the dentate gyrus in both control and SE animals exposed to the enriched environment compared to the nonenriched groups. Environmental enrichment resulted in no change in SE-induced histologic damage. Exposure to an enriched environment in weanling rats significantly improves visual-spatial learning. Even following SE, an enriched environment enhances cognitive function. An increase in neurogenesis and activation of transcription factors may contribute to this enhanced visual-spatial memory.

Is functional integration of resting state brain networks an unspecific biomarker for working memory performance?

PubMed

Alavash, Mohsen; Doebler, Philipp; Holling, Heinz; Thiel, Christiane M; Gießing, Carsten

2015-03-01

Is there one optimal topology of functional brain networks at rest from which our cognitive performance would profit? Previous studies suggest that functional integration of resting state brain networks is an important biomarker for cognitive performance. However, it is still unknown whether higher network integration is an unspecific predictor for good cognitive performance or, alternatively, whether specific network organization during rest predicts only specific cognitive abilities. Here, we investigated the relationship between network integration at rest and cognitive performance using two tasks that measured different aspects of working memory; one task assessed visual-spatial and the other numerical working memory. Network clustering, modularity and efficiency were computed to capture network integration on different levels of network organization, and to statistically compare their correlations with the performance in each working memory test. The results revealed that each working memory aspect profits from a different resting state topology, and the tests showed significantly different correlations with each of the measures of network integration. While higher global network integration and modularity predicted significantly better performance in visual-spatial working memory, both measures showed no significant correlation with numerical working memory performance. In contrast, numerical working memory was superior in subjects with highly clustered brain networks, predominantly in the intraparietal sulcus, a core brain region of the working memory network. Our findings suggest that a specific balance between local and global functional integration of resting state brain networks facilitates special aspects of cognitive performance. In the context of working memory, while visual-spatial performance is facilitated by globally integrated functional resting state brain networks, numerical working memory profits from increased capacities for local processing, especially in brain regions involved in working memory performance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Are there pre-existing neural, cognitive, or motoric markers for musical ability?

PubMed

Norton, Andrea; Winner, Ellen; Cronin, Karl; Overy, Katie; Lee, Dennis J; Schlaug, Gottfried

2005-11-01

Adult musician's brains show structural enlargements, but it is not known whether these are inborn or a consequence of long-term training. In addition, music training in childhood has been shown to have positive effects on visual-spatial and verbal outcomes. However, it is not known whether pre-existing advantages in these skills are found in children who choose to study a musical instrument nor is it known whether there are pre-existing associations between music and any of these outcome measures that could help explain the training effects. To answer these questions, we compared 5- to 7-year-olds beginning piano or string lessons (n=39) with 5- to 7-year-olds not beginning instrumental training (n=31). All children received a series of tests (visual-spatial, non-verbal reasoning, verbal, motor, and musical) and underwent magnetic resonance imaging. We found no pre-existing neural, cognitive, motor, or musical differences between groups and no correlations (after correction for multiple analyses) between music perceptual skills and any brain or visual-spatial measures. However, correlations were found between music perceptual skills and both non-verbal reasoning and phonemic awareness. Such pre-existing correlations suggest similarities in auditory and visual pattern recognition as well a sharing of the neural substrates for language and music processing, most likely due to innate abilities or implicit learning during early development. This baseline study lays the groundwork for an ongoing longitudinal study addressing the effects of intensive musical training on brain and cognitive development, and making it possible to look retroactively at the brain and cognitive development of those children who emerge showing exceptional musical talent.

Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder exhibit altered emotional processing and attentional control during an emotional Stroop task.

PubMed

Khanna, M M; Badura-Brack, A S; McDermott, T J; Embury, C M; Wiesman, A I; Shepherd, A; Ryan, T J; Heinrichs-Graham, E; Wilson, T W

2017-08-01

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often associated with attention allocation and emotional regulation difficulties, but the brain dynamics underlying these deficits are unknown. The emotional Stroop task (EST) is an ideal means to monitor these difficulties, because participants are asked to attend to non-emotional aspects of the stimuli. In this study, we used magnetoencephalography (MEG) and the EST to monitor attention allocation and emotional regulation during the processing of emotionally charged stimuli in combat veterans with and without PTSD. A total of 31 veterans with PTSD and 20 without PTSD performed the EST during MEG. Three categories of stimuli were used, including combat-related, generally threatening and neutral words. MEG data were imaged in the time-frequency domain and the network dynamics were probed for differences in processing threatening and non-threatening words. Behaviorally, veterans with PTSD were significantly slower in responding to combat-related relative to neutral and generally threatening words. Veterans without PTSD exhibited no significant differences in responding to the three different word types. Neurophysiologically, we found a significant three-way interaction between group, word type and time period across multiple brain regions. Follow-up testing indicated stronger theta-frequency (4-8 Hz) responses in the right ventral prefrontal (0.4-0.8 s) and superior temporal cortices (0.6-0.8 s) of veterans without PTSD compared with those with PTSD during the processing of combat-related words. Our data indicated that veterans with PTSD exhibited deficits in attention allocation and emotional regulation when processing trauma cues, while those without PTSD were able to regulate emotion by directing attention away from threat.

Effects of allocation of attention on habituation to olfactory and visual food stimuli in children.

PubMed

Epstein, Leonard H; Saad, Frances G; Giacomelli, April M; Roemmich, James N

2005-02-15

Responding to food cues may be disrupted by allocating attention to other tasks. We report two experiments examining the effects of allocation of attention on salivary habituation to olfactory plus visual food cues in 8-12-year-old children. In Experiment 1, 42 children were presented with a series of 8 hamburger food stimulus presentations. During each intertrial interval, participants completed a controlled (hard), or automatic (easy) visual memory task, or no task (control). In Experiment 2, 22 children were presented with 10 presentations of a pizza food stimulus and either listened to an audiobook or no audiobook control. Results of Experiment 1 showed group differences in rate of change in salivation (p=0.014). Children in the controlled task did not habituate to repeated food cues, while children in the automatic (p<0.005) or no task (p<0.001) groups decreased responding over time. In Experiment 2, groups differed in the rate of change in salivation (p=0.004). Children in the no audiobook group habituated (p<0.001), while children in the audiobook group did not habituate. Changes in the rate of habituation when attending to non-food stimuli while eating may be a mechanism for increasing energy intake.

Neural bases of antisocial behavior: a voxel-based meta-analysis

PubMed Central

Inokuchi, Ryota; Nakao, Tomohiro; Yamasue, Hidenori

2014-01-01

Individuals with antisocial behavior place a great physical and economic burden on society. Deficits in emotional processing have been recognized as a fundamental cause of antisocial behavior. Emerging evidence also highlights a significant contribution of attention allocation deficits to such behavior. A comprehensive literature search identified 12 studies that were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis, which compared 291 individuals with antisocial problems and 247 controls. Signed Differential Mapping revealed that compared with controls, gray matter volume (GMV) in subjects with antisocial behavior was reduced in the right lentiform nucleus (P < 0.0001), left insula (P = 0.0002) and left frontopolar cortex (FPC) (P = 0.0006), and was increased in the right fusiform gyrus (P < 0.0001), right inferior parietal lobule (P = 0.0003), right superior parietal lobule (P = 0.0004), right cingulate gyrus (P = 0.0004) and the right postcentral gyrus (P = 0.0004). Given the well-known contributions of limbic and paralimbic areas to emotional processing, the observed reductions in GMV in these regions might represent neural correlates of disturbance in emotional processing underlying antisocial behavior. Previous studies have suggested an FPC role in attention allocation during emotional processing. Therefore, GMV deviations in this area may constitute a neural basis of deficits in attention allocation linked with antisocial behavior. PMID:23926170

Does language guide event perception? Evidence from eye movements

PubMed Central

Papafragou, Anna; Hulbert, Justin; Trueswell, John

2008-01-01

Languages differ in how they encode motion. When describing bounded motion, English speakers typically use verbs that convey information about manner (e.g., slide, skip, walk) rather than path (e.g., approach, ascend), whereas Greek speakers do the opposite. We investigated whether this strong cross-language difference influences how people allocate attention during motion perception. We compared eye movements from Greek and English speakers as they viewed motion events while (a) preparing verbal descriptions, or (b) memorizing the events. During the verbal description task, speakers’ eyes rapidly focused on the event components typically encoded in their native language, generating significant cross-language differences even during the first second of motion onset. However, when freely inspecting ongoing events, as in the memorization task, people allocated attention similarly regardless of the language they speak. Differences between language groups arose only after the motion stopped, such that participants spontaneously studied those aspects of the scene that their language does not routinely encode in verbs. These findings offer a novel perspective on the relation between language and perceptual/cognitive processes. They indicate that attention allocation during event perception is not affected by the perceiver’s native language; effects of language arise only when linguistic forms are recruited to achieve the task, such as when committing facts to memory. PMID:18395705

Effects of alcohol on attention orienting and dual-task performance during simulated driving: an event-related potential study.

PubMed

Wester, Anne E; Verster, Joris C; Volkerts, Edmund R; Böcker, Koen B E; Kenemans, J Leon

2010-09-01

Driving is a complex task and is susceptible to inattention and distraction. Moreover, alcohol has a detrimental effect on driving performance, possibly due to alcohol-induced attention deficits. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of alcohol on simulated driving performance and attention orienting and allocation, as assessed by event-related potentials (ERPs). Thirty-two participants completed two test runs in the Divided Attention Steering Simulator (DASS) with blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) of 0.00%, 0.02%, 0.05%, 0.08% and 0.10%. Sixteen participants performed the second DASS test run with a passive auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on involuntary attention shifting. Sixteen other participants performed the second DASS test run with an active auditory oddball to assess alcohol effects on dual-task performance and active attention allocation. Dose-dependent impairments were found for reaction times, the number of misses and steering error, even more so in dual-task conditions, especially in the active oddball group. ERP amplitudes to novel irrelevant events were also attenuated in a dose-dependent manner. The P3b amplitude to deviant target stimuli decreased with blood alcohol concentration only in the dual-task condition. It is concluded that alcohol increases distractibility and interference from secondary task stimuli, as well as reduces attentional capacity and dual-task integrality.

The effect of psychosocial stimulation on cognition and behaviour at 6 years in a cohort of term, low-birthweight Jamaican children.

PubMed

Walker, Susan P; Chang, Susan M; Younger, Novie; Grantham-McGregor, Sally M

2010-07-01

The aim of this study was to determine whether psychosocial stimulation up to the age of 2 years benefits cognition and behaviour at age 6 years in low-birthweight, term-born (LBW-T) children (gestational age > or =37 wk, birthweight <2500g), and to compare LBW-T and normal-birthweight (NBW) children. LBW-T Jamaican infants were randomized at birth to a control group or an intervention group. Children in the intervention group received psychosocial stimulation for 2 years. LBW-T infants were also compared with NBW infants born in the same hospital. IQ, cognitive function, and behaviour were measured at age 6 years in 109 LBW-T infants. The LBW-T group were divided into the intervention group (55 out of 70 enrolled, 32 females, 23 males; mean birthweight 2190g, SD 200g; and the control group (54 out of 70 enrolled, 33 females, 21 males; birthweight 2240g, SD 180g]. These were compared with 73 out of 94 enrolled NBW infants (38 females 35 males; birthweight 3130g, SD 330g). Among the LBW-T children performance IQ scores were higher in the intervention group than in the control group (regression coefficient [B] 4.06, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.01-7.98) as were visual-spatial memory scores (B 1.12, 95% CI 0.45-1.87). Children in the intervention group also exhibited fewer behavioural difficulties (B -2.21, 95% CI -4.13 to -0.10) than children in the control group. Compared with NBW children, LBW-T children in the control group had poorer selective attention (B=-3.35, 95% CI -5.59 to -1.26) and visual-spatial memory (B=-0.76, 95% CI -1.54 to 0.00), but there were no differences in IQ, language, or behaviour. Stimulation had sustained benefits in LBW-T infants. Finding few differences between LBW-T and NBW school-aged children concurs with results from other developing countries.

The allocation of attention and working memory in visual crowding.

PubMed

Bacigalupo, Felix; Luck, Steven J

2015-06-01

When the distance between a visual target and nearby flankers falls below a critical distance, target discrimination declines precipitously. This is called "crowding." Many researchers have proposed that selective attention plays a role in crowding. However, although some research has examined the effects of directing attention toward versus away from the targets, no previous research has assessed how attentional allocation varies as a function of target-flanker distance in crowding. Here, we used ERPs to assess the operation of attention during crowding, focusing on the attention-related N2pc component. We used a typical crowding task in which participants were asked to report the category (vowel/consonant) of a lateralized target letter flanked by distractor letters at different distances. We tested the hypothesis that attention fails when the target-flanker distance becomes too small for attention to operate effectively. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that N2pc amplitude was maximal at intermediate target-flanker distances and decreased substantially when crowding became severe. In addition, we examined the sustained posterior contralateral negativity (SPCN), which reflects the amount of information being maintained in working memory. Unlike the N2pc component, the SPCN increased in amplitude at small target-flanker distances, suggesting that observers stored information about the target and flankers in working memory when attention failed to select the target. Together, the N2pc and SPCN results suggest that attention and working memory play distinctive roles in crowding: Attention operates to minimize interference from the flankers at intermediate target-flanker distances, whereas working memory may be recruited when attention fails to select the target at small target-flanker distances.

Development and Validation of the Subjective Awareness of Neuropsychological Deficits Questionnaire for Children (SAND-C)

PubMed Central

HUFFORD, BRADLEY J.; FASTENAU, PHILIP S.

2009-01-01

Although lowered awareness of abilities has been associated with poorer outcome in adults with neurological compromise, a dearth of research exists examining whether lowered awareness exists in younger populations. Using findings from recent literature and expert opinion, a 47-item Subjective Awareness of Neuropsychological Deficits Questionnaire for Children (SAND-C) was created to assess awareness of cognitive functioning in 6 domains (attention, psychomotor, visual-spatial, language, memory, and executive functioning). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the SAND-C was conducted on a sample consisting of 365 healthy children and 48 children with epilepsy. The SAND-C was found to have strong reliability. Factor analysis confirmed the a priori 6 factor model, but the 6-factor model was only marginally better than a more parsimonious 1-factor solution. Post-hoc exploratory factor analyses indicate that the SAND-C may measure more constructs for adolescents than for younger children. The difference between younger and older children may reflect developmental changes in metacognitive awareness and abstraction about their own abilities. PMID:15969352

The effects of golf training in patients with stroke: a pilot study.

PubMed

Schachten, Tobias; Jansen, Petra

2015-05-01

Stroke is the most common neurological disease and the primary cause of lifelong disability in industrialized countries. Because of this it is important to investigate any kind of successful therapy. From the 24 recruited stroke patients who were between 23 and 72 years old, 14 patients were separated either in a golf training group (EG), or a social communication meeting (CG). Both groups met for one hour sessions, twice a week, for ten weeks. All participants completed assessment tests before and after the experimental period: cognitive tests measuring attention (Go/No-Go task), visual-spatial memory (Block-Tapping test) and mental rotation performance (MRT); a balance test (Berg Balance Scale), and an emotional well-being test (CES-D-Scale). The results show that both groups improved in the CES Scale, the block-tapping test and the balance test. In addition, stroke patients who received a golf training showed a significant improvement in the MRT comparing to the control group (CG). It is indicated that golf training can improve visual imagery ability in stroke patients, even late after stroke.

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD): a case with long-term follow-up after liver transplantation.

PubMed

McLaughlin, Paula M; Hinshaw, Jessica; Stringer, Anthony Y

2013-01-01

Maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a rare hereditary metabolic condition where the body is unable to breakdown amino acids causing toxic buildup. Acute and long-term management of MSUD involves a restricted diet and regular monitoring of amino acid levels; however, more recently liver transplants have been shown to be successful in treating this condition. Even with successful management of MSUD there is evidence from pediatric cases that shows a distinct pattern of neurocognitive deficits associated with this condition, including impaired nonverbal skills and psychomotor functioning with relatively intact verbal abilities. In the present paper, we report an adult case of MSUD with associated neurocognitive deficits and functional limitations following liver transplantation. Neuroimaging revealed no structural abnormalities, while the results from the neuropsychological evaluation showed impairment in visual-spatial processing, attention, executive functioning, and psychomotor abilities, with relative strengths in verbal skills. The patient also showed reduced adaptive functioning and mild anxiety. This case demonstrates neurocognitive deficiencies within the context of normal magnetic resonance imaging. The possible underlying mechanism of this neuropsychological profile is discussed in relation to other neurodevelopmental models.

Effects of glucose load on cognitive functions in elderly people.

PubMed

van der Zwaluw, Nikita L; van de Rest, Ondine; Kessels, Roy P C; de Groot, Lisette C P G M

2015-02-01

Glucose is the main fuel for the brain, and manipulation of the glucose supply may consequently affect brain function. The present review was conducted to provide an overview of studies that investigated the acute effects of glucose load on memory and other cognitive functions in elderly people. The effects of sucrose on cognition and suggested mechanisms were also explored. A total of twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. In the majority of studies, episodic memory was investigated and a beneficial role for glucose in that specific cognitive domain was suggested. Other cognitive domains, i.e., working memory, semantic memory, visual memory, information-processing speed, attention, executive function, and visual/spatial function, have been studied less frequently and evidence for a beneficial effect of glucose was equivocal. Mechanisms are suggested to be mainly related to the human body's need for glucose as a metabolic substrate for physiological mechanisms in both central and peripheral processes. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Short-term memory for spatial configurations in the tactile modality: a comparison with vision.

PubMed

Picard, Delphine; Monnier, Catherine

2009-11-01

This study investigates the role of acquisition constraints on the short-term retention of spatial configurations in the tactile modality in comparison with vision. It tests whether the sequential processing of information inherent to the tactile modality could account for limitation in short-term memory span for tactual-spatial information. In addition, this study investigates developmental aspects of short-term memory for tactual- and visual-spatial configurations. A total of 144 child and adult participants were assessed for their memory span in three different conditions: tactual, visual, and visual with a limited field of view. The results showed lower tactual-spatial memory span than visual-spatial, regardless of age. However, differences in memory span observed between the tactile and visual modalities vanished when the visual processing of information occurred within a limited field. These results provide evidence for an impact of acquisition constraints on the retention of spatial information in the tactile modality in both childhood and adulthood.

New insights into the endophenotypic status of cognition in bipolar disorder: genetic modelling study of twins and siblings.

PubMed

Georgiades, Anna; Rijsdijk, Fruhling; Kane, Fergus; Rebollo-Mesa, Irene; Kalidindi, Sridevi; Schulze, Katja K; Stahl, Daniel; Walshe, Muriel; Sahakian, Barbara J; McDonald, Colm; Hall, Mei-Hua; Murray, Robin M; Kravariti, Eugenia

2016-06-01

Twin studies have lacked statistical power to apply advanced genetic modelling techniques to the search for cognitive endophenotypes for bipolar disorder. To quantify the shared genetic variability between bipolar disorder and cognitive measures. Structural equation modelling was performed on cognitive data collected from 331 twins/siblings of varying genetic relatedness, disease status and concordance for bipolar disorder. Using a parsimonious AE model, verbal episodic and spatial working memory showed statistically significant genetic correlations with bipolar disorder (rg = |0.23|-|0.27|), which lost statistical significance after covarying for affective symptoms. Using an ACE model, IQ and visual-spatial learning showed statistically significant genetic correlations with bipolar disorder (rg = |0.51|-|1.00|), which remained significant after covarying for affective symptoms. Verbal episodic and spatial working memory capture a modest fraction of the bipolar diathesis. IQ and visual-spatial learning may tap into genetic substrates of non-affective symptomatology in bipolar disorder. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016.

The effects of female "Thin Ideal" media on men's appearance schema, cognitive performance, and self-evaluations: A self-determination theory approach.

PubMed

Baker, Amanda; Blanchard, Céline

2017-09-01

Research has primarily focused on the consequences of the female thin ideal on women and has largely ignored the effects on men. Two studies were designed to investigate the effects of a female thin ideal video on cognitive (Study 1: appearance schema, Study 2: visual-spatial processing) and self-evaluative measures in male viewers. Results revealed that the female thin ideal predicted men's increased appearance schema activation and poorer cognitive performance on a visual-spatial task. Constructs from self-determination theory (i.e., global autonomous and controlled motivation) were included to help explain for whom the video effects might be strongest or weakest. Findings demonstrated that a global autonomous motivation orientation played a protective role against the effects of the female thin ideal. Given that autonomous motivation was a significant moderator, SDT is an area worth exploring further to determine whether motivational strategies can benefit men who are susceptible to media body ideals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial sequences, but not verbal sequences, are vulnerable to general interference during retention in working memory.

PubMed

Morey, Candice C; Miron, Monica D

2016-12-01

Among models of working memory, there is not yet a consensus about how to describe functions specific to storing verbal or visual-spatial memories. We presented aural-verbal and visual-spatial lists simultaneously and sometimes cued one type of information after presentation, comparing accuracy in conditions with and without informative retro-cues. This design isolates interference due specifically to maintenance, which appears most clearly in the uncued trials, from interference due to encoding, which occurs in all dual-task trials. When recall accuracy was comparable between tasks, we found that spatial memory was worse in uncued than in retro-cued trials, whereas verbal memory was not. Our findings bolster proposals that maintenance of spatial serial order, like maintenance of visual materials more broadly, relies on general rather than specialized resources, while maintenance of verbal sequences may rely on domain-specific resources. We argue that this asymmetry should be explicitly incorporated into models of working memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Conceptual versus Perceptual Text Processing Strategies: Differences between Good and Poor Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shepard, Charlene R.; Reynolds, Ralph E.

Investigating the selective attention strategy, a study examined the type of attention allocated to important information by good and poor readers. Also tested was the methodological validity of using a conceptual (word recognition) perceptual (tachistoscopic word flash) task as a means of investigating the types of information processing that may…

Selective Attention with Separable Stimuli Using a Speeded Task.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolbet, Lori L.; Garvey, Jackie

The ability to allocate attentional resources to relevant aspects of a stimulus event is a critical skill needed for efficient information processing. Evidence suggests that this ability to focus on relevant information without interference is dependent on the nature of the stimulus structure of the information to be processed. To test the…

Teacher Allocation Policies and the Unbalanced Distribution of Novice and Senior Teachers across Regions in Turkey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Özoglu, Murat; Beyazit, Yildirim

2015-01-01

Policies toward fostering a more balanced distribution of teacher quality have garnered considerable attention from researchers and policymakers around the world. This attention has been motivated largely by the widely acknowledged educational goal of providing quality education for all children. Equipped with similar policy concerns, this study…

Attention: Reaction Time and Accuracy Reveal Different Mechanisms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prinzmetal, William; McCool, Christin; Park, Samuel

2005-01-01

The authors propose that there are 2 different mechanisms whereby spatial cues capture attention. The voluntary mechanism is the strategic allocation of perceptual resources to the location most likely to contain the target. The involuntary mechanism is a reflexive orienting response that occurs even when the spatial cue does not indicate the…

Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Three Individuals with Aphasia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orenstein, Ellen; Basilakos, Alexandra; Marshall, Rebecca Shisler

2012-01-01

Background: There is evidence to suggest that people with aphasia (PWA) may have deficits in attention stemming from the inefficient allocation of resources. The inaccurate perception of task demand, or sense of effort, may underlie the misallocation of the available attention resources. Given the lack of treatment options for improving attention…

Do Low-Effort Learning Strategies Mediate Impaired Memory in ADHD?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egeland, Jens; Johansen, Susanne Nordby; Ueland, Torill

2010-01-01

As a group, participants with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are impaired in academic performance and learning. This may be due to a mild intellectual impairment, impaired attention, or inability to allocate sufficient effort. If the latter is the case, this should be evident in the learning strategies applied. Four indices of…

The Allocation of Money and Its Impact on Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Commission of the States, Denver, CO.

While much attention has been paid to educational reform or restructuring efforts to improve the nation's schools, the fiscal aspects of reform have received little attention. The Education Commission of the States studied 20 school districts in 6 states (California, Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, and South Carolina) to determine what impact…

Napping Reduces Emotional Attention Bias during Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cremone, Amanda; Kurdziel, Laura B. F.; Fraticelli-Torres, Ada; McDermott, Jennifer M.; Spencer, Rebecca M. C.

2017-01-01

Sleep loss alters processing of emotional stimuli in preschool-aged children. However, the mechanism by which sleep modifies emotional processing in early childhood is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that a nap, compared to an equivalent time spent awake, reduces biases in attention allocation to affective information. Children (n = 43;…

Differences in Attentional Strategies by Novice and Experienced Operating Theatre Scrub Nurses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koh, Ranieri Y. I.; Park, Taezoon; Wickens, Christopher D.; Ong, Lay Teng; Chia, Soon Noi

2011-01-01

This study investigated the effect of nursing experience on attention allocation and task performance during surgery. The prevention of cases of retained foreign bodies after surgery typically depends on scrub nurses, who are responsible for performing multiple tasks that impose heavy demands on the nurses' cognitive resources. However, the…

Dividing Attention within and between Hemispheres: Testing a Multiple Resources Approach to Limited-Capacity Information Processing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedman, Alinda; And Others

1982-01-01

Two experiments tested the limiting case of a multiple resources approach to resource allocation in information processing. Results contradict a single-capacity model, supporting the idea that the hemispheres' resource supplies are independent and have implications for both cerebral specialization and divided attention issues. (Author/PN)

Semantic and Syntactic Associations During Word Search Modulate the Relationship Between Attention and Subsequent Memory.

PubMed

Zhou, Wei; Mo, Fei; Zhang, Yunhong; Ding, Jinhong

2017-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to investigate how linguistic information influences attention allocation in visual search and memory for words. In Experiment 1, participants searched for the synonym of a cue word among five words. The distractors included one antonym and three unrelated words. In Experiment 2, participants were asked to judge whether the five words presented on the screen comprise a valid sentence. The relationships among words were sentential, semantically related or unrelated. A memory recognition task followed. Results in both experiments showed that linguistically related words produced better memory performance. We also found that there were significant interactions between linguistic relation conditions and memorization on eye-movement measures, indicating that good memory for words relied on frequent and long fixations during search in the unrelated condition but to a much lesser extent in linguistically related conditions. We conclude that semantic and syntactic associations attenuate the link between overt attention allocation and subsequent memory performance, suggesting that linguistic relatedness can somewhat compensate for a relative lack of attention during word search.

Space-based visual attention: a marker of immature selective attention in toddlers?

PubMed

Rivière, James; Brisson, Julie

2014-11-01

Various studies suggested that attentional difficulties cause toddlers' failure in some spatial search tasks. However, attention is not a unitary construct and this study investigated two attentional mechanisms: location selection (space-based attention) and object selection (object-based attention). We investigated how toddlers' attention is distributed in the visual field during a manual search task for objects moving out of sight, namely the moving boxes task. Results show that 2.5-year-olds who failed this task allocated more attention to the location of the relevant object than to the object itself. These findings suggest that in some manual search tasks the primacy of space-based attention over object-based attention could be a marker of immature selective attention in toddlers. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Visual attention is required for multiple object tracking.

PubMed

Tran, Annie; Hoffman, James E

2016-12-01

In the multiple object tracking task, participants attempt to keep track of a moving set of target objects embedded in an identical set of moving distractors. Depending on several display parameters, observers are usually only able to accurately track 3 to 4 objects. Various proposals attribute this limit to a fixed number of discrete indexes (Pylyshyn, 1989), limits in visual attention (Cavanagh & Alvarez, 2005), or "architectural limits" in visual cortical areas (Franconeri, 2013). The present set of experiments examined the specific role of visual attention in tracking using a dual-task methodology in which participants tracked objects while identifying letter probes appearing on the tracked objects and distractors. As predicted by the visual attention model, probe identification was faster and/or more accurate when probes appeared on tracked objects. This was the case even when probes were more than twice as likely to appear on distractors suggesting that some minimum amount of attention is required to maintain accurate tracking performance. When the need to protect tracking accuracy was relaxed, participants were able to allocate more attention to distractors when probes were likely to appear there but only at the expense of large reductions in tracking accuracy. A final experiment showed that people attend to tracked objects even when letters appearing on them are task-irrelevant, suggesting that allocation of attention to tracked objects is an obligatory process. These results support the claim that visual attention is required for tracking objects. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

The Pattern and Loci of Training-Induced Brain Changes in Healthy Older Adults Are Predicted by the Nature of the Intervention

PubMed Central

Belleville, Sylvie; Mellah, Samira; de Boysson, Chloé; Demonet, Jean-Francois; Bier, Bianca

2014-01-01

There is enormous interest in designing training methods for reducing cognitive decline in healthy older adults. Because it is impaired with aging, multitasking has often been targeted and has been shown to be malleable with appropriate training. Investigating the effects of cognitive training on functional brain activation might provide critical indication regarding the mechanisms that underlie those positive effects, as well as provide models for selecting appropriate training methods. The few studies that have looked at brain correlates of cognitive training indicate a variable pattern and location of brain changes - a result that might relate to differences in training formats. The goal of this study was to measure the neural substrates as a function of whether divided attentional training programs induced the use of alternative processes or whether it relied on repeated practice. Forty-eight older adults were randomly allocated to one of three training programs. In the SINGLE REPEATED training, participants practiced an alphanumeric equation and a visual detection task, each under focused attention. In the DIVIDED FIXED training, participants practiced combining verification and detection by divided attention, with equal attention allocated to both tasks. In the DIVIDED VARIABLE training, participants completed the task by divided attention, but were taught to vary the attentional priority allocated to each task. Brain activation was measured with fMRI pre- and post-training while completing each task individually and the two tasks combined. The three training programs resulted in markedly different brain changes. Practice on individual tasks in the SINGLE REPEATED training resulted in reduced brain activation whereas DIVIDED VARIABLE training resulted in a larger recruitment of the right superior and middle frontal gyrus, a region that has been involved in multitasking. The type of training is a critical factor in determining the pattern of brain activation. PMID:25119464

Psychological Resources of Adults with Developmental Dyslexia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lockiewicz, Marta; Bogdanowicz, Katarzyna M.; Bogdanowicz, Marta

2014-01-01

The aim of our study was to describe specific psychological resources of adults with developmental dyslexia and compare them with psychological resources of adults without developmental dyslexia. Potential differences were analyzed in visual-spatial, creative, and motivational abilities. No evidence was found for either creative, or visuospatial…

Cognitive Processes that Underlie Mathematical Precociousness in Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, H. Lee

2006-01-01

The working memory (WM) processes that underlie young children's (ages 6-8 years) mathematical precociousness were examined. A battery of tests that assessed components of WM (phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad, and central executive), naming speed, random generation, and fluency was administered to mathematically precocious and…

Hemispheric Connectivity and the Visual-Spatial Divergent-Thinking Component of Creativity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Dana W.; Bhadelia, Rafeeque A.; Billings, Rebecca L.; Fulwiler, Carl; Heilman, Kenneth M.; Rood, Kenneth M. J.; Gansler, David A.

2009-01-01

Background/hypothesis: Divergent thinking is an important measurable component of creativity. This study tested the postulate that divergent thinking depends on large distributed inter- and intra-hemispheric networks. Although preliminary evidence supports increased brain connectivity during divergent thinking, the neural correlates of this…

Longitudinal Trajectories of Intellectual and Adaptive Functioning in Adolescents and Adults with Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fisher, M. H.; Lense, M. D.; Dykens, E. M.

2016-01-01

Background: Williams syndrome (WS) is associated with a distinct cognitive-behavioural phenotype including mild to moderate intellectual disability, visual-spatial deficits, hypersociability, inattention and anxiety. Researchers typically characterise samples of individuals with WS by their intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. Because…

Translating Dyslexia across Species

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabel, Lisa A.; Manglani, Monica; Escalona, Nicholas; Cysner, Jessica; Hamilton, Rachel; Pfaffmann, Jeffrey; Johnson, Evelyn

2016-01-01

Direct relationships between induced mutation in the "DCDC2" candidate dyslexia susceptibility gene in mice and changes in behavioral measures of visual spatial learning have been reported. We were interested in determining whether performance on a visual-spatial learning and memory task could be translated across species (study 1) and…

Cognitive Profile of Turner Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, David; Kent, Jamie Scaletta; Kesler, Shelli

2009-01-01

Turner syndrome (TS) is a relatively common neurogenetic disorder characterized by complete or partial monosomy-X in a phenotypic female. TS is associated with a cognitive profile that typically includes intact intellectual function and verbal abilities with relative weaknesses in visual-spatial, executive, and social cognitive domains. In this…

Window to the World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cannon, Kama

2018-01-01

Although formal papers are typical, sometimes posters or other visual presentations are more useful tools for sharing visual-spatial information. By incorporating creativity and technology into the study of geographical science, STEM (the study of Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics) is changed to STEAM (the A stands for ART)! The…

Visual-Spatial Thinking in Hypertexts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson-Sheehan, Richard; Baehr, Craig

2001-01-01

Explores what it means to think visually and spatially in hypertexts and how users react and maneuver in real and virtual three-dimensional spaces. Offers four principles of visual thinking that can be applied when developing hypertexts. Applies these principles to actual hypertexts, demonstrating how selectivity, fixation, depth discernment, and…

The guidance of spatial attention during visual search for color combinations and color configurations.

PubMed

Berggren, Nick; Eimer, Martin

2016-09-01

Representations of target-defining features (attentional templates) guide the selection of target objects in visual search. We used behavioral and electrophysiological measures to investigate how such search templates control the allocation of attention in search tasks where targets are defined by the combination of 2 colors or by a specific spatial configuration of these colors. Target displays were preceded by spatially uninformative cue displays that contained items in 1 or both target-defining colors. Experiments 1 and 2 demonstrated that, during search for color combinations, attention is initially allocated independently and in parallel to all objects with target-matching colors, but is then rapidly withdrawn from objects that only have 1 of the 2 target colors. In Experiment 3, targets were defined by a particular spatial configuration of 2 colors, and could be accompanied by nontarget objects with a different configuration of the same colors. Attentional guidance processes were unable to distinguish between these 2 types of objects. Both attracted attention equally when they appeared in a cue display, and both received parallel focal-attentional processing and were encoded into working memory when they were presented in the same target display. Results demonstrate that attention can be guided simultaneously by multiple features from the same dimension, but that these guidance processes have no access to the spatial-configural properties of target objects. They suggest that attentional templates do not represent target objects in an integrated pictorial fashion, but contain separate representations of target-defining features. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Visual and cross-modal cues increase the identification of overlapping visual stimuli in Balint's syndrome.

PubMed

D'Imperio, Daniela; Scandola, Michele; Gobbetto, Valeria; Bulgarelli, Cristina; Salgarello, Matteo; Avesani, Renato; Moro, Valentina

2017-10-01

Cross-modal interactions improve the processing of external stimuli, particularly when an isolated sensory modality is impaired. When information from different modalities is integrated, object recognition is facilitated probably as a result of bottom-up and top-down processes. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential effects of cross-modal stimulation in a case of simultanagnosia. We report a detailed analysis of clinical symptoms and an 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) brain positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) study of a patient affected by Balint's syndrome, a rare and invasive visual-spatial disorder following bilateral parieto-occipital lesions. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of visual and nonvisual cues on performance in tasks involving the recognition of overlapping pictures. Four modalities of sensory cues were used: visual, tactile, olfactory, and auditory. Data from neuropsychological tests showed the presence of ocular apraxia, optic ataxia, and simultanagnosia. The results of the experiment indicate a positive effect of the cues on the recognition of overlapping pictures, not only in the identification of the congruent valid-cued stimulus (target) but also in the identification of the other, noncued stimuli. All the sensory modalities analyzed (except the auditory stimulus) were efficacious in terms of increasing visual recognition. Cross-modal integration improved the patient's ability to recognize overlapping figures. However, while in the visual unimodal modality both bottom-up (priming, familiarity effect, disengagement of attention) and top-down processes (mental representation and short-term memory, the endogenous orientation of attention) are involved, in the cross-modal integration it is semantic representations that mainly activate visual recognition processes. These results are potentially useful for the design of rehabilitation training for attentional and visual-perceptual deficits.

Effects of a computerized working memory training program on working memory, attention, and academics in adolescents with severe LD and comorbid ADHD: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Gray, S A; Chaban, P; Martinussen, R; Goldberg, R; Gotlieb, H; Kronitz, R; Hockenberry, M; Tannock, R

2012-12-01

Youths with coexisting learning disabilities (LD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at risk for poor academic and social outcomes. The underlying cognitive deficits, such as poor working memory (WM), are not well targeted by current treatments for either LD or ADHD. Emerging evidence suggests that WM might be improved by intensive and adaptive computerized training, but it remains unclear whether this intervention would be effective for adolescents with severe LD and comorbid ADHD. A total of sixty 12- to 17-year olds with LD/ADHD (52 male, 8 female, IQ > 80) were randomized to one of two computerized intervention programs: working memory training (Cogmed RM) or math training (Academy of Math) and evaluated before and 3 weeks after completion. The criterion measures of WM included auditory-verbal and visual-spatial tasks. Near and far transfer measures included indices of cognitive and behavioral attention and academic achievement. Adolescents in the WM training group showed greater improvements in a subset of WM criterion measures compared with those in the math-training group, but no training effects were observed on the near or far measures. Those who showed the most improvement on the WM training tasks at school were rated as less inattentive/hyperactive at home by parents. Results suggest that WM training may enhance some aspects of WM in youths with LD/ADHD, but further development of the training program is required to promote transfer effects to other domains of function. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry © 2012 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Frequency allocations for a new satellite service - Digital audio broadcasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Reinhart, Edward E.

1992-01-01

The allocation in the range 500-3000 MHz for digital audio broadcasting (DAB) is described in terms of key issues such as the transmission-system architectures. Attention is given to the optimal amount of spectrum for allocation and the technological considerations relevant to downlink bands for satellite and terrestrial transmissions. Proposals for DAB allocations are compared, and reference is made to factors impinging on the provision of ground/satellite feeder links. The allocation proposals describe the implementation of 50-60-MHz bandwidths for broadcasting in the ranges near 800 MHz, below 1525 MHz, near 2350 MHz, and near 2600 MHz. Three specific proposals are examined in terms of characteristics such as service areas, coverage/beam, channels/satellite beam, and FCC license status. Several existing problems are identified including existing services crowded with systems, the need for new bands in the 1000-3000-MHz range, and variations in the nature and intensity of implementations of existing allocations that vary from country to country.

Attentional Mechanisms in Simple Visual Detection: A Speed-Accuracy Trade-Off Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Charles C.; Wolfgang, Bradley J.; Smith, Philip L.

2009-01-01

Recent spatial cuing studies have shown that detection sensitivity can be increased by the allocation of attention. This increase has been attributed to one of two mechanisms: signal enhancement or uncertainty reduction. Signal enhancement is an increase in the signal-to-noise ratio at the cued location; uncertainty reduction is a reduction in the…

Seven-Year-Olds Allocate Attention Like Adults Unless Working Memory Is Overloaded

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowan, Nelson; Morey, Candice C.; AuBuchon, Angela M.; Zwilling, Christopher E.; Gilchrist, Amanda L.

2010-01-01

Previous studies have indicated that visual working memory performance increases with age in childhood, but it is not clear why. One main hypothesis has been that younger children are less efficient in their attention; specifically, they are less able to exclude irrelevant items from working memory to make room for relevant items. We examined this…

Attentional Shifts between Audition and Vision in Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Occelli, Valeria; Esposito, Gianluca; Venuti, Paola; Arduino, Giuseppe Maurizio; Zampini, Massimiliano

2013-01-01

Previous evidence on neurotypical adults shows that the presentation of a stimulus allocates the attention to its modality, resulting in faster responses to a subsequent target presented in the same (vs. different) modality. People with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) often fail to detect a (visual or auditory) target in a stream of stimuli after…

Attention and Word Learning in Toddlers Who Are Late Talkers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacRoy-Higgins, Michelle; Montemarano, Elizabeth A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine attention allocation in toddlers who were late talkers and toddlers with typical language development while they were engaged in a word-learning task in order to determine if differences exist. Two-year-olds who were late talkers (11) and typically developing toddlers (11) were taught twelve novel…

Paying Attention to Attention Allocation in Second-Language Learning: Some Insights into the Nature of Linguistic Thresholds.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawson, Anne

1997-01-01

Three threshold hypotheses proposed by Cummins (1976) and Diaz (1985) as explanations of data on the cognitive consequences of bilingualism are examined in depth and compared to one another. A neuroscientifically updated information-processing perspective on the interaction of second-language comprehension and visual-processing ability is…

Culture modulates implicit ownership-induced self-bias in memory.

PubMed

Sparks, Samuel; Cunningham, Sheila J; Kritikos, Ada

2016-08-01

The relation of incoming stimuli to the self implicitly determines the allocation of cognitive resources. Cultural variations in the self-concept shape cognition, but the extent is unclear because the majority of studies sample only Western participants. We report cultural differences (Asian versus Western) in ownership-induced self-bias in recognition memory for objects. In two experiments, participants allocated a series of images depicting household objects to self-owned or other-owned virtual baskets based on colour cues before completing a surprise recognition memory test for the objects. The 'other' was either a stranger or a close other. In both experiments, Western participants showed greater recognition memory accuracy for self-owned compared with other-owned objects, consistent with an independent self-construal. In Experiment 1, which required minimal attention to the owned objects, Asian participants showed no such ownership-related bias in recognition accuracy. In Experiment 2, which required attention to owned objects to move them along the screen, Asian participants again showed no overall memory advantage for self-owned items and actually exhibited higher recognition accuracy for mother-owned than self-owned objects, reversing the pattern observed for Westerners. This is consistent with an interdependent self-construal which is sensitive to the particular relationship between the self and other. Overall, our results suggest that the self acts as an organising principle for allocating cognitive resources, but that the way it is constructed depends upon cultural experience. Additionally, the manifestation of these cultural differences in self-representation depends on the allocation of attentional resources to self- and other-associated stimuli. Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How and when predictability interacts with accentuation in temporally selective attention during speech comprehension.

PubMed

Li, Xiaoqing; Lu, Yong; Zhao, Haiyan

2014-11-01

The present study used EEG to investigate how and when top-down prediction interacts with bottom-up acoustic signals in temporally selective attention during speech comprehension. Mandarin Chinese spoken sentences were used as stimuli. We systematically manipulated the predictability and de/accentuation of the critical words in the sentence context. Meanwhile, a linguistic attention probe 'ba' was presented concurrently with the critical words or not. The results showed that, first, words with a linguistic attention probe elicited a larger N1 than those without a probe. The latency of this N1 effect was shortened for accented or lowly predictable words, indicating more attentional resources allocated to these words. Importantly, prediction and accentuation showed a complementary interplay on the latency of this N1 effect, demonstrating that when the words had already attracted attention due to low predictability or due to the presence of pitch accent, the other factor did not modulate attention allocation anymore. Second, relative to the lowly predictable words, the highly predictable words elicited a reduced N400 and enhanced gamma-band power increases, especially under the accented conditions; moreover, under the accented conditions, shorter N1 peak-latency was found to correlate with larger gamma-band power enhancement, which indicates that a close relationship might exist between early selective attention and later semantic integration. Finally, the interaction between top-down selective attention (driven by prediction) and bottom-up selective attention (driven by accentuation) occurred before lexical-semantic processing, namely before the N400 effect evoked by predictability, which was discussed with regard to the language comprehension models. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Infants' Temperament and Mothers', and Fathers' Depression Predict Infants' Attention to Objects Paired with Emotional Faces.

PubMed

Aktar, Evin; Mandell, Dorothy J; de Vente, Wieke; Majdandžić, Mirjana; Raijmakers, Maartje E J; Bögels, Susan M

2016-07-01

Between 10 and 14 months, infants gain the ability to learn about unfamiliar stimuli by observing others' emotional reactions to those stimuli, so called social referencing (SR). Joint processing of emotion and head/gaze direction is essential for SR. This study tested emotion and head/gaze direction effects on infants' attention via pupillometry in the period following the emergence of SR. Pupil responses of 14-to-17-month-old infants (N = 57) were measured during computerized presentations of unfamiliar objects alone, before-and-after being paired with emotional (happy, sad, fearful vs. neutral) faces gazing towards (vs. away) from objects. Additionally, the associations of infants' temperament, and parents' negative affect/depression/anxiety with infants' pupil responses were explored. Both mothers and fathers of participating infants completed questionnaires about their negative affect, depression and anxiety symptoms and their infants' negative temperament. Infants allocated more attention (larger pupils) to negative vs. neutral faces when the faces were presented alone, while they allocated less attention to objects paired with emotional vs. neutral faces independent of head/gaze direction. Sad (but not fearful) temperament predicted more attention to emotional faces. Infants' sad temperament moderated the associations of mothers' depression (but not anxiety) with infants' attention to objects. Maternal depression predicted more attention to objects paired with emotional expressions in infants low in sad temperament, while it predicted less attention in infants high in sad temperament. Fathers' depression (but not anxiety) predicted more attention to objects paired with emotional expressions independent of infants' temperament. We conclude that infants' own temperamental dispositions for sadness, and their exposure to mothers' and fathers' depressed moods may influence infants' attention to emotion-object associations in social learning contexts.

If the Shoe Fits...How To Develop Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Carolyn

This guide provides a rationale and approach for translating Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences into classroom practice. Chapter 1 explains Gardner's theory and gives the definitions of the seven intelligences he identifies: verbal/linguistic, musical/rhythmic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinesthetic, intrapersonal,…

Graphic Abilities in Relation to Mathematical and Scientific Ability in Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stavridou, Fotini; Kakana, Domna

2008-01-01

Background: The study investigated a small range of cognitive abilities, related to visual-spatial intelligence, in adolescents. This specific range of cognitive abilities was termed "graphic abilities" and defined as a range of abilities to visualise and think in three dimensions, originating in the domain of visual-spatial…

Electrophysiological Correlates of Semantic Processing in Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pinheiro, Ana P.; Galdo-Alvarez, Santaigo; Sampaio, Adriana; Niznikiewicz, Margaret; Goncalves, Oscar F.

2010-01-01

Williams syndrome (WS), a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder due to microdeletion in chromosome 7, has been described as a syndrome with an intriguing socio-cognitive phenotype. Cognitively, the relative preservation of language and face processing abilities coexists with severe deficits in visual-spatial tasks, as well as in tasks involving…

Working Memory Components and Problem-Solving Accuracy: Are There Multiple Pathways?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, H. Lee; Fung, Wenson

2016-01-01

This study determined the working memory (WM) components (executive, phonological short-term memory [STM], and visual-spatial sketchpad) that best predicted mathematical word problem-solving accuracy in elementary schoolchildren (N = 392). The battery of tests administered to assess mediators between WM and problem-solving included measures of…

Electromagnetic Evidence of Altered Visual Processing in Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neumann, Nicola; Dubischar-Krivec, Anna M.; Poustka, Fritz; Birbaumer, Niels; Bolte, Sven; Braun, Christoph

2011-01-01

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate intact or superior local processing of visual-spatial tasks. We investigated the hypothesis that in a disembedding task, autistic individuals exhibit a more local processing style than controls, which is reflected by altered electromagnetic brain activity in response to embedded stimuli…

Are Deaf Students Visual Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marschark, Marc; Morrison, Carolyn; Lukomski, Jennifer; Borgna, Georgianna; Convertino, Carol

2013-01-01

It is frequently assumed that by virtue of their hearing losses, deaf students are visual learners. Deaf individuals have some visual-spatial advantages relative to hearing individuals, but most have been linked to use of sign language rather than auditory deprivation. How such cognitive differences might affect academic performance has been…

Modeling the Round Earth through Diagrams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Padalkar, Shamin; Ramadas, Jayashree

2008-01-01

Earlier studies have found that students, including adults, have problems understanding the scientifically accepted model of the Sun-Earth-Moon system and explaining day-to-day astronomical phenomena based on it. We have been examining such problems in the context of recent research on visual-spatial reasoning. Working with middle school students…

The Structure of Cognitive Abilities in Youths with Manic Symptoms: A Factorial Invariance Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beaujean, A. Alexander; Freeman, Megan Joseph; Youngstrom, Eric; Carlson, Gabrielle

2012-01-01

This study compared the structure of cognitive ability (specifically, verbal/crystallized ["Gc"] and visual-spatial ability ["Gv"]), as measured in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, in youth with manic symptoms with a nationally representative group of similarly aged youth. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis…

Top-down and bottom-up attention to memory: a hypothesis (AtoM) on the role of the posterior parietal cortex in memory retrieval.

PubMed

Ciaramelli, Elisa; Grady, Cheryl L; Moscovitch, Morris

2008-01-01

Recent neuroimaging studies have implicated the posterior parietal cortex in episodic memory retrieval, but there is uncertainty about its specific role. Research in the attentional domain has shown that superior parietal lobe (SPL) regions along the intraparietal sulcus are implicated in the voluntary orienting of attention to relevant aspects of the environment, whereas inferior parietal lobe (IPL) regions at the temporo-parietal junction mediate the automatic allocation of attention to task-relevant information. Here we propose that the SPL and the IPL play conceptually similar roles in episodic memory retrieval. We hypothesize that the SPL allocates top-down attention to memory retrieval, whereas the IPL mediates the automatic, bottom-up attentional capture by retrieved memory contents. By reviewing the existing fMRI literature, we show that the posterior intraparietal sulcus of SPL is consistently active when the need for top-down assistance to memory retrieval is supposedly maximal, e.g., for memories retrieved with low vs. high confidence, for familiar vs. recollected memories, for recognition of high vs. low frequency words. On the other hand, the supramarginal gyrus of IPL is consistently active when the attentional capture by memory contents is supposedly maximal, i.e., for strong vs. weak memories, for vividly recollected vs. familiar memories, for memories retrieved with high vs. low confidence. We introduce a model of episodic memory retrieval that characterizes contributions of posterior parietal cortex.

How to Modify (Implicit) Evaluations of Fear-Related Stimuli: Effects of Feature-Specific Attention Allocation

PubMed Central

Vanaelst, Jolien; Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan

2016-01-01

We demonstrate that feature-specific attention allocation influences the way in which repeated exposure modulates implicit and explicit evaluations toward fear-related stimuli. During an exposure procedure, participants were encouraged to assign selective attention either to the evaluative meaning (i.e., Evaluative Condition) or a non-evaluative, semantic feature (i.e., Semantic Condition) of fear-related stimuli. The influence of the exposure procedure was captured by means of a measure of implicit evaluation, explicit evaluative ratings, and a measure of automatic approach/avoidance tendencies. As predicted, the implicit measure of evaluation revealed a reduced expression of evaluations in the Semantic Condition as compared to the Evaluative Condition. Moreover, this effect generalized toward novel objects that were never presented during the exposure procedure. The explicit measure of evaluation mimicked this effect, although it failed to reach conventional levels of statistical significance. No effects were found in terms of automatic approach/avoidance tendencies. Potential implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed. PMID:27242626

Brain Responses to Emotional Images Related to Cognitive Ability in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Foster, Shannon M.; Davis, Hasker P.; Kisley, Michael A.

2013-01-01

Older adults have been shown to exhibit a positivity effect in processing of emotional stimuli, seemingly focusing more on positive than negative information. Whether this reflects purposeful changes or an unintended side-effect of declining cognitive abilities is unclear. For the present study older adults displaying a wide range of cognitive abilities completed measures of attention, visual and verbal memory, executive functioning, and processing speed, as well as a socioemotional measure of time perspective. Regression analyses examined the ability of these variables to predict neural responsivity to select emotional stimuli as measured with the late positive potential (LPP), an event-related brain potential (ERP). Stronger cognitive functioning was associated with higher LPP amplitude in response to negative images (i.e., greater processing). This does not support a voluntary avoidance of negative information processing in older adults for this particular measure of attentional allocation. A model is proposed to reconcile this finding with the extant literature that has demonstrated positivity effects in measures of later, controlled attentional allocation. PMID:23276213

Emphasizing the only character: emphasis, attention and contrast.

PubMed

Chen, Lijing; Yang, Yufang

2015-03-01

In conversations, pragmatic information such as emphasis is important for identifying the speaker's/writer's intention. The present research examines the cognitive processes involved in emphasis processing. Participants read short discourses that introduced one or two character(s), with the character being emphasized or non-emphasized in subsequent texts. Eye movements showed that: (1) early processing of the emphasized word was facilitated, which may have been due to increased attention allocation, whereas (2) late integration of the emphasized character was inhibited when the discourse involved only this character. These results indicate that it is necessary to include other characters as contrastive characters to facilitate the integration of an emphasized character, and support the existence of a relationship between Emphasis and Contrast computation. Taken together, our findings indicate that both attention allocation and contrast computation are involved in emphasis processing, and support the incremental nature of sentence processing and the importance of contrast in discourse comprehension. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Allocation of attentional resource and monitoring processes under rapid serial visual presentation].

PubMed

Nishiura, K

1998-08-01

With the use of rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP), the present study investigated the cause of target intrusion errors and functioning of monitoring processes. Eighteen students participated in Experiment 1, and 24 in Experiment 2. In Experiment 1, different target intrusion errors were found depending on different kinds of letters --romaji, hiragana, and kanji. In Experiment 2, stimulus set size and context information were manipulated in an attempt to explore the cause of post-target intrusion errors. Results showed that as stimulus set size increased, the post-target intrusion errors also increased, but contextual information did not affect the errors. Results concerning mean report probability indicated that increased allocation of attentional resource to response-defining dimension was the cause of the errors. In addition, results concerning confidence rating showed that monitoring of temporal and contextual information was extremely accurate, but it was not so for stimulus information. These results suggest that attentional resource is different from monitoring resource.

Attentional capture by emotional scenes across episodes in bipolar disorder: Evidence from a free-viewing task.

PubMed

García-Blanco, Ana; Salmerón, Ladislao; Perea, Manuel

2015-05-01

We examined whether the initial orienting, subsequent engagement, and overall allocation of attention are determined exogenously (i.e. by the affective valence of the stimulus) or endogenously (i.e. by the participant's mood) in the manic, depressive and euthymic episodes of bipolar disorder (BD). Participants were asked to compare the affective valence of two pictures (happy/threatening/neutral [emotional] vs. neutral [control]) while their eye movements were recorded in a free-viewing task. Results revealed that the initial orienting was exogenously captured by emotional images relative to control images. Importantly, engagement and overall allocation were endogenously captured by threatening images relative to neutral images in BD patients, regardless of their episode--this effect did not occur in a group of healthy controls. The threat-related bias in BD, which occurs even at the early stages of information processing (i.e. attentional engagement), may reflect a vulnerability marker. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

How to Modify (Implicit) Evaluations of Fear-Related Stimuli: Effects of Feature-Specific Attention Allocation.

PubMed

Vanaelst, Jolien; Spruyt, Adriaan; De Houwer, Jan

2016-01-01

We demonstrate that feature-specific attention allocation influences the way in which repeated exposure modulates implicit and explicit evaluations toward fear-related stimuli. During an exposure procedure, participants were encouraged to assign selective attention either to the evaluative meaning (i.e., Evaluative Condition) or a non-evaluative, semantic feature (i.e., Semantic Condition) of fear-related stimuli. The influence of the exposure procedure was captured by means of a measure of implicit evaluation, explicit evaluative ratings, and a measure of automatic approach/avoidance tendencies. As predicted, the implicit measure of evaluation revealed a reduced expression of evaluations in the Semantic Condition as compared to the Evaluative Condition. Moreover, this effect generalized toward novel objects that were never presented during the exposure procedure. The explicit measure of evaluation mimicked this effect, although it failed to reach conventional levels of statistical significance. No effects were found in terms of automatic approach/avoidance tendencies. Potential implications for the treatment of anxiety disorders are discussed.

Neuroscientific evidence for defensive avoidance of fear appeals

PubMed Central

Kessels, Loes T E; Ruiter, Robert A C; Wouters, Liesbeth; Jansma, Bernadette M

2014-01-01

Previous studies indicate that people respond defensively to threatening health information, especially when the information challenges self-relevant goals. The authors investigated whether reduced acceptance of self-relevant health risk information is already visible in early attention allocation processes. In two experimental studies, participants were watching high- and low-threat health commercials, and at the same time had to pay attention to specific odd auditory stimuli in a sequence of frequent auditory stimuli (odd ball paradigm). The amount of attention allocation was measured by recording event-related brain potentials (i.e., P300 ERPs) and reaction times. Smokers showed larger P300 amplitudes in response to the auditory targets while watching high-threat instead of low-threat anti-smoking commercials. In contrast, non-smokers showed smaller P300 amplitudes during watching high as opposed to low threat anti-smoking commercials. In conclusion, the findings provide further neuroscientific support for the hypothesis that threatening health information causes more avoidance responses among those for whom the health threat is self-relevant. PMID:24811878

Effects of virtual reality-based training with BTs-Nirvana on functional recovery in stroke patients: preliminary considerations.

PubMed

De Luca, Rosaria; Russo, Margherita; Naro, Antonino; Tomasello, Provvidenza; Leonardi, Simona; Santamaria, Floriana; Desireè, Latella; Bramanti, Alessia; Silvestri, Giuseppe; Bramanti, Placido; Calabrò, Rocco Salvatore

2018-02-02

Cognitive impairment occurs frequently in post-stroke patients. This study aimed to determine the effects of a virtual reality training (VRT) with BTs-Nirvana (BTsN) on the recovery of cognitive functions in stroke patients, using the Interactive-Semi-Immersive Program (I-SIP). We enrolled 12 subjects (randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (EG); and control group (CG)), who attended the Laboratory of Robotic and Cognitive Rehabilitation of IRCCS Neurolesi of Messina from January to June 2016. The EG underwent a VRT with BTsN, whereas CG received a standard cognitive treatment. Both the groups underwent the same conventional physiotherapy program. Each treatment session lasted 45 minutes and was repeated three times a week for 8 weeks. All the patients were evaluated by a specific clinical-psychometric battery before (T0), immediately (T1), and one month (T2) after the end of the training. At T1, the EG presented a greater improvement in the trunk control test (p = 0.03), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (p = 0.01), the selective attention assessment scores (p = 0.01), the verbal memory (p = 0.03), and the visuospatial and constructive abilities (p = 0.01), as compared to CG. Moreover, such amelioration persisted at T2 only in the EG. According to these preliminary data, VRT with I-SIP can be considered a useful complementary treatment to potentiate functional recovery, with regard to attention, visual-spatial deficits, and motor function in patients affected by stroke.

Effect of the Antioxidant Supplement Pyrroloquinoline Quinone Disodium Salt (BioPQQ™) on Cognitive Functions.

PubMed

Itoh, Yuji; Hine, Kyoko; Miura, Hiroshi; Uetake, Tatsuo; Nakano, Masahiko; Takemura, Naohiro; Sakatani, Kaoru

2016-01-01

Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ) is a quinone compound first identified in 1979. It has been reported that rats fed a PQQ-supplemented diet showed better learning ability than controls, suggesting that PQQ may be useful for improving memory in humans. In the present study, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study to examine the effect of PQQ disodium salt (BioPQQ™) on cognitive functions was conducted with 41 elderly healthy subjects. Subjects were orally given 20 mg of BioPQQ™ per day or placebo, for 12 weeks. For cognitive functions, selective attention by the Stroop and reverse Stroop test, and visual-spatial cognitive function by the laptop tablet Touch M, were evaluated. In the Stroop test, the change of Stroop interference ratios (SIs) for the PQQ group was significantly smaller than for the placebo group. In the Touch M test, the stratification analyses dividing each group into two groups showed that only in the lower group of the PQQ group (initial score<70), did the score significantly increase. Measurements of physiological parameters indicated no abnormal blood or urinary adverse events, nor adverse internal or physical examination findings at any point in the study. The preliminary experiment using near-infrared spectrometry (NIRS) suggests that cerebral blood flow in the prefrontal cortex was increased by the administration of PQQ. The results suggest that PQQ can prevent reduction of brain function in aged persons, especially in attention and working memory.

Perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) and Neuropsychological Outcomes in Children

PubMed Central

Stein, Cheryl R.; Savitz, David A.; Bellinger, David C.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND In animal studies, perfluorinated compounds affect fetal growth, development, viability, and postnatal growth. The limited epidemiologic findings on child neurobehavioral development are mixed. METHODS We recruited and evaluated 320 children who participated in the C8 Health Project, a 2005–2006 survey in a mid-Ohio-Valley community highly exposed to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) through contaminated drinking water. We examined associations between estimated in utero PFOA exposure, measured childhood PFOA serum concentration, and subsequent performance on neuropsychological tests 3–4 years later at ages 6–12 years. We assessed IQ reading and math skills, language, memory and learning, visual-spatial processing, and attention. All multivariable linear-regression models were adjusted for age, sex, home environment, test examiner, and maternal IQ. Models with measured childhood PFOA were additionally adjusted for child body mass index. RESULTS Children in the highest as compared to lowest quartile of estimated in utero PFOA had increases in full scale IQ (β 4.6, 95% CI 0.7, 8.5) and decreases in characteristics of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder as measured by the Clinical Confidence Index of Connors' Continuous Performance Test-II (β −8.5, 95% CI −16.1, −0.8). There were negligible associations between PFOA and reading or math skills or neuropsychological functioning. CONCLUSION These results do not suggest an adverse association between the levels of PFOA exposure experienced by children in this cohort and their performance on neuropsychological tests. PMID:23680941

The influence of sleep deprivation and oscillating motion on sleepiness, motion sickness, and cognitive and motor performance.

PubMed

Kaplan, Janna; Ventura, Joel; Bakshi, Avijit; Pierobon, Alberto; Lackner, James R; DiZio, Paul

2017-01-01

Our goal was to determine how sleep deprivation, nauseogenic motion, and a combination of motion and sleep deprivation affect cognitive vigilance, visual-spatial perception, motor learning and retention, and balance. We exposed four groups of subjects to different combinations of normal 8h sleep or 4h sleep for two nights combined with testing under stationary conditions or during 0.28Hz horizontal linear oscillation. On the two days following controlled sleep, all subjects underwent four test sessions per day that included evaluations of fatigue, motion sickness, vigilance, perceptual discrimination, perceptual learning, motor performance and learning, and balance. Sleep loss and exposure to linear oscillation had additive or multiplicative relationships to sleepiness, motion sickness severity, decreases in vigilance and in perceptual discrimination and learning. Sleep loss also decelerated the rate of adaptation to motion sickness over repeated sessions. Sleep loss degraded the capacity to compensate for novel robotically induced perturbations of reaching movements but did not adversely affect adaptive recovery of accurate reaching. Overall, tasks requiring substantial attention to cognitive and motor demands were degraded more than tasks that were more automatic. Our findings indicate that predicting performance needs to take into account in addition to sleep loss, the attentional demands and novelty of tasks, the motion environment in which individuals will be performing and their prior susceptibility to motion sickness during exposure to provocative motion stimulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Category-based guidance of spatial attention during visual search for feature conjunctions.

PubMed

Nako, Rebecca; Grubert, Anna; Eimer, Martin

2016-10-01

The question whether alphanumerical category is involved in the control of attentional target selection during visual search remains a contentious issue. We tested whether category-based attentional mechanisms would guide the allocation of attention under conditions where targets were defined by a combination of alphanumerical category and a basic visual feature, and search displays could contain both targets and partially matching distractor objects. The N2pc component was used as an electrophysiological marker of attentional object selection in tasks where target objects were defined by a conjunction of color and category (Experiment 1) or shape and category (Experiment 2). Some search displays contained the target or a nontarget object that matched either the target color/shape or its category among 3 nonmatching distractors. In other displays, the target and a partially matching nontarget object appeared together. N2pc components were elicited not only by targets and by color- or shape-matching nontargets, but also by category-matching nontarget objects, even on trials where a target was present in the same display. On these trials, the summed N2pc components to the 2 types of partially matching nontargets were initially equal in size to the target N2pc, suggesting that attention was allocated simultaneously and independently to all objects with target-matching features during the early phase of attentional processing. Results demonstrate that alphanumerical category is a genuine guiding feature that can operate in parallel with color or shape information to control the deployment of attention during visual search. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Auditory attention enhances processing of positive and negative words in inferior and superior prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Wegrzyn, Martin; Herbert, Cornelia; Ethofer, Thomas; Flaisch, Tobias; Kissler, Johanna

2017-11-01

Visually presented emotional words are processed preferentially and effects of emotional content are similar to those of explicit attention deployment in that both amplify visual processing. However, auditory processing of emotional words is less well characterized and interactions between emotional content and task-induced attention have not been fully understood. Here, we investigate auditory processing of emotional words, focussing on how auditory attention to positive and negative words impacts their cerebral processing. A Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study manipulating word valence and attention allocation was performed. Participants heard negative, positive and neutral words to which they either listened passively or attended by counting negative or positive words, respectively. Regardless of valence, active processing compared to passive listening increased activity in primary auditory cortex, left intraparietal sulcus, and right superior frontal gyrus (SFG). The attended valence elicited stronger activity in left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and left SFG, in line with these regions' role in semantic retrieval and evaluative processing. No evidence for valence-specific attentional modulation in auditory regions or distinct valence-specific regional activations (i.e., negative > positive or positive > negative) was obtained. Thus, allocation of auditory attention to positive and negative words can substantially increase their processing in higher-order language and evaluative brain areas without modulating early stages of auditory processing. Inferior and superior frontal brain structures mediate interactions between emotional content, attention, and working memory when prosodically neutral speech is processed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ambiguity produces attention shifts in category learning.

PubMed

Vadillo, Miguel A; Orgaz, Cristina; Luque, David; Nelson, James Byron

2016-04-01

It has been suggested that people and nonhuman animals protect their knowledge from interference by shifting attention toward the context when presented with information that contradicts their previous beliefs. Despite that suggestion, no studies have directly measured changes in attention while participants are exposed to an interference treatment. In the present experiments, we adapted a dot-probe task to track participants' attention to cues and contexts while they were completing a simple category learning task. The results support the hypothesis that interference produces a change in the allocation of attention to cues and contexts. © 2016 Vadillo et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

Creating Ideal Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kennedy, Mike

2002-01-01

Reviews ways that schools can provide effective indoor learning environments by paying attention to the following areas: daylighting, acoustics, space allocation, technology implementation, ergonomics, maintenance, indoor air quality, safety, restrooms, and roofing. (GR)

On the Automaticity of the Evaluative Priming Effect in the Valent/Non-Valent Categorization Task

PubMed Central

Spruyt, Adriaan; Tibboel, Helen

2015-01-01

It has previously been argued (a) that automatic evaluative stimulus processing is critically dependent upon feature-specific attention allocation and (b) that evaluative priming effects can arise in the absence of dimensional overlap between the prime set and the response set. In line with both claims, research conducted at our lab revealed that the evaluative priming effect replicates in the valent/non-valent categorization task. This research was criticized, however, because non-automatic, strategic processes may have contributed to the emergence of this effect. We now report the results of a replication study in which the operation of non-automatic, strategic processes was controlled for. A clear-cut evaluative priming effect emerged, thus supporting initial claims concerning feature-specific attention allocation and dimensional overlap. PMID:25803444

On the automaticity of the evaluative priming effect in the valent/non-valent categorization task.

PubMed

Spruyt, Adriaan; Tibboel, Helen

2015-01-01

It has previously been argued (a) that automatic evaluative stimulus processing is critically dependent upon feature-specific attention allocation and (b) that evaluative priming effects can arise in the absence of dimensional overlap between the prime set and the response set. In line with both claims, research conducted at our lab revealed that the evaluative priming effect replicates in the valent/non-valent categorization task. This research was criticized, however, because non-automatic, strategic processes may have contributed to the emergence of this effect. We now report the results of a replication study in which the operation of non-automatic, strategic processes was controlled for. A clear-cut evaluative priming effect emerged, thus supporting initial claims concerning feature-specific attention allocation and dimensional overlap.

Background Television and Infants' Allocation of Their Attention during Toy Play

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Setliff, Alissa E.; Courage, Mary L.

2011-01-01

The effect of background television on 6- and 12-month-olds' attention during 20 min of toy play was examined. During the first or second half of the session, a clip from a variety of commonly available television programs was presented. The duration and frequency of infants' looks to the toys and to the television indicated that regardless of age…

Selective Control of Attention Supports the Positivity Effect in Aging

PubMed Central

Sasse, Laura K.; Gamer, Matthias; Büchel, Christian; Brassen, Stefanie

2014-01-01

There is emerging evidence for a positivity effect in healthy aging, which describes an age-specific increased focus on positive compared to negative information. Life-span researchers have attributed this effect to the selective allocation of cognitive resources in the service of prioritized emotional goals. We explored the basic principles of this assumption by assessing selective attention and memory for visual stimuli, differing in emotional content and self-relevance, in young and old participants. To specifically address the impact of cognitive control, voluntary attentional selection during the presentation of multiple-item displays was analyzed and linked to participants' general ability of cognitive control. Results revealed a positivity effect in older adults' selective attention and memory, which was particularly pronounced for self-relevant stimuli. Focusing on positive and ignoring negative information was most evident in older participants with a generally higher ability to exert top-down control during visual search. Our findings highlight the role of controlled selectivity in the occurrence of a positivity effect in aging. Since the effect has been related to well-being in later life, we suggest that the ability to selectively allocate top-down control might represent a resilience factor for emotional health in aging. PMID:25093459

Visual selective attention with virtual barriers.

PubMed

Schneider, Darryl W

2017-07-01

Previous studies have shown that interference effects in the flanker task are reduced when physical barriers (e.g., hands) are placed around rather than below a target flanked by distractors. One explanation of this finding is the referential coding hypothesis, whereby the barriers serve as reference objects for allocating attention. In five experiments, the generality of the referential coding hypothesis was tested by investigating whether interference effects are modulated by the placement of virtual barriers (e.g., parentheses). Modulation of flanker interference was found only when target and distractors differed in size and the virtual barriers were beveled wood-grain objects. Under these conditions and those of previous studies, the author conjectures that an impression of depth was produced when the barriers were around the target, such that the target was perceived to be on a different depth plane than the distractors. Perception of depth in the stimulus display might have led to referential coding of the stimuli in three-dimensional (3-D) space, influencing the allocation of attention beyond the horizontal and vertical dimensions. This 3-D referential coding hypothesis is consistent with research on selective attention in 3-D space that shows flanker interference is reduced when target and distractors are separated in depth.

Time course of influence on the allocation of attentional resources caused by unconscious fearful faces.

PubMed

Jiang, Yunpeng; Wu, Xia; Saab, Rami; Xiao, Yi; Gao, Xiaorong

2018-05-01

Emotionally affective stimuli have priority in our visual processing even in the absence of conscious processing. However, the influence of unconscious emotional stimuli on our attentional resources remains unclear. Using the continuous flash suppression (CFS) paradigm, we concurrently recorded and analyzed visual event-related potential (ERP) components evoked by the images of suppressed fearful and neutral faces, and the steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) elicited by dynamic Mondrian pictures. Fearful faces, relative to neutral faces, elicited larger late ERP components on parietal electrodes, indicating emotional expression processing without consciousness. More importantly, the presentation of a suppressed fearful face in the CFS resulted in a significantly greater decrease in SSVEP amplitude which started about 1-1.2 s after the face images first appeared. This suggests that the time course of the attentional bias occurs at about 1 s after the appearance of the fearful face and demonstrates that unconscious fearful faces may influence attentional resource allocation. Moreover, we proposed a new method that could eliminate the interaction of ERPs and SSVEPs when recorded concurrently. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidance of attention to objects and locations by long-term memory of natural scenes.

PubMed

Becker, Mark W; Rasmussen, Ian P

2008-11-01

Four flicker change-detection experiments demonstrate that scene-specific long-term memory guides attention to both behaviorally relevant locations and objects within a familiar scene. Participants performed an initial block of change-detection trials, detecting the addition of an object to a natural scene. After a 30-min delay, participants performed an unanticipated 2nd block of trials. When the same scene occurred in the 2nd block, the change within the scene was (a) identical to the original change, (b) a new object appearing in the original change location, (c) the same object appearing in a new location, or (d) a new object appearing in a new location. Results suggest that attention is rapidly allocated to previously relevant locations and then to previously relevant objects. This pattern of locations dominating objects remained when object identity information was made more salient. Eye tracking verified that scene memory results in more direct scan paths to previously relevant locations and objects. This contextual guidance suggests that a high-capacity long-term memory for scenes is used to insure that limited attentional capacity is allocated efficiently rather than being squandered.

Selective control of attention supports the positivity effect in aging.

PubMed

Sasse, Laura K; Gamer, Matthias; Büchel, Christian; Brassen, Stefanie

2014-01-01

There is emerging evidence for a positivity effect in healthy aging, which describes an age-specific increased focus on positive compared to negative information. Life-span researchers have attributed this effect to the selective allocation of cognitive resources in the service of prioritized emotional goals. We explored the basic principles of this assumption by assessing selective attention and memory for visual stimuli, differing in emotional content and self-relevance, in young and old participants. To specifically address the impact of cognitive control, voluntary attentional selection during the presentation of multiple-item displays was analyzed and linked to participants' general ability of cognitive control. Results revealed a positivity effect in older adults' selective attention and memory, which was particularly pronounced for self-relevant stimuli. Focusing on positive and ignoring negative information was most evident in older participants with a generally higher ability to exert top-down control during visual search. Our findings highlight the role of controlled selectivity in the occurrence of a positivity effect in aging. Since the effect has been related to well-being in later life, we suggest that the ability to selectively allocate top-down control might represent a resilience factor for emotional health in aging.

Neuronal and behavioral correlates of health anxiety: results of an illness-related emotional Stroop task.

PubMed

Witthöft, Michael; Mier, Daniela; Ofer, Julia; Müller, Tobias; Rist, Fred; Kirsch, Peter; Bailer, Josef; Diener, Carsten

2013-01-01

Health anxiety (HA) is defined as the objectively unfounded fear or conviction of suffering from a severe illness. Predominant attention allocation to illness-related information is regarded as a central process in the development and maintenance of HA, yet little is known about the neuronal correlates of this attentional bias. An emotional Stroop task with body symptom, illness, and neutral words was employed to elicit emotional interference in healthy participants with high (HA+, n = 12) and low (HA-, n = 12) HA during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Prolonged reaction times for indicating the color of symptom words and a decrease in rostral anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) activation were seen in HA+ participants. Emotional interference effects on the behavioral level were negatively related to rACC activity over the whole group. Groups did not differ during the processing of threatening illness words. The results indicate stronger attention allocation toward body symptom words already in subclinical HA. This attentional bias appears to be linked to hypoactivity of the rACC which impedes effective emotional interference reduction, leading instead to a ruminative processing of the stimulus content. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

How Prevalent Is Object-Based Attention?

PubMed Central

Pilz, Karin S.; Roggeveen, Alexa B.; Creighton, Sarah E.; Bennett, Patrick J.; Sekuler, Allison B.

2012-01-01

Previous research suggests that visual attention can be allocated to locations in space (space-based attention) and to objects (object-based attention). The cueing effects associated with space-based attention tend to be large and are found consistently across experiments. Object-based attention effects, however, are small and found less consistently across experiments. In three experiments we address the possibility that variability in object-based attention effects across studies reflects low incidence of such effects at the level of individual subjects. Experiment 1 measured space-based and object-based cueing effects for horizontal and vertical rectangles in 60 subjects comparing commonly used target detection and discrimination tasks. In Experiment 2 we ran another 120 subjects in a target discrimination task in which rectangle orientation varied between subjects. Using parametric statistical methods, we found object-based effects only for horizontal rectangles. Bootstrapping methods were used to measure effects in individual subjects. Significant space-based cueing effects were found in nearly all subjects in both experiments, across tasks and rectangle orientations. However, only a small number of subjects exhibited significant object-based cueing effects. Experiment 3 measured only object-based attention effects using another common paradigm and again, using bootstrapping, we found only a small number of subjects that exhibited significant object-based cueing effects. Our results show that object-based effects are more prevalent for horizontal rectangles, which is in accordance with the theory that attention may be allocated more easily along the horizontal meridian. The fact that so few individuals exhibit a significant object-based cueing effect presumably is why previous studies of this effect might have yielded inconsistent results. The results from the current study highlight the importance of considering individual subject data in addition to commonly used statistical methods. PMID:22348018

Irrelevant singletons in visual search do not capture attention but can produce nonspatial filtering costs.

PubMed

Wykowska, Agnieszka; Schubö, Anna

2011-03-01

It is not clear how salient distractors affect visual processing. The debate concerning the issue of whether irrelevant salient items capture spatial attention [e.g., Theeuwes, J., Atchley, P., & Kramer, A. F. On the time course of top-down and bottom-up control of visual attention. In S. Monsell & J. Driver (Eds.), Attention and performance XVIII: Control of cognitive performance (pp. 105-124). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2000] or produce only nonspatial interference in the form of, for example, filtering costs [Folk, Ch. L., & Remington, R. Top-down modulation of preattentive processing: Testing the recovery account of contingent capture. Visual Cognition, 14, 445-465, 2006] has not yet been settled. The present ERP study examined deployment of attention in visual search displays that contained an additional irrelevant singleton. Display-locked N2pc showed that attention was allocated to the target and not to the irrelevant singleton. However, the onset of the N2pc to the target was delayed when the irrelevant singleton was presented in the opposite hemifield relative to the same hemifield. Thus, although attention was successfully focused on the target, the irrelevant singleton produced some interference resulting in a delayed allocation of attention to the target. A subsequent probe discrimination task allowed for locking ERPs to probe onsets and investigating the dynamics of sensory gain control for probes appearing at relevant (target) or irrelevant (singleton distractor) positions. Probe-locked P1 showed sensory gain for probes positioned at the target location but no such effect for irrelevant singletons in the additional singleton condition. Taken together, the present data support the claim that irrelevant singletons do not capture attention. If they produce any interference, it is rather due to nonspatial filtering costs.

The role of attention and relatedness in emotionally enhanced memory.

PubMed

Talmi, Deborah; Schimmack, Ulrich; Paterson, Theone; Moscovitch, Morris

2007-02-01

Examining the positive and negative pictures separately revealed that emotionally enhanced memory (EEM) for positive pictures was mediated by attention, with no significant influence of emotional arousal, whereas the reverse was true of negative pictures. Consistent with this finding, in Experiment 2 EEM for negative pictures was found even when task emphasis was manipulated so that equivalent attention was allocated to negative and neutral pictures. The results show that attention and semantic relatedness contribute to EEM, with the extent varying with emotional valence. Negative emotion can influence memory independently of these 2 factors. (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved.

Virtual Technologies to Develop Visual-Spatial Ability in Engineering Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roca-González, Cristina; Martin-Gutierrez, Jorge; García-Dominguez, Melchor; Carrodeguas, Mª del Carmen Mato

2017-01-01

The present study assessed a short training experiment to improve spatial abilities using two tools based on virtual technologies: one focused on manipulation of specific geometric virtual pieces, and the other consisting of virtual orienteering game. The two tools can help improve spatial abilities required for many engineering problem-solving…

Comic Books: A Learning Tool for Meaningful Acquisition of Written Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guimarães, Cayley; Oliveira Machado, Milton César; Fernandes, Sueli F.

2018-01-01

Deaf people use Sign Language (SL) for intellectual development, communications and other human activities that are mediated by language--such as the expression of complex and abstract thoughts and feelings; and for literature, culture and knowledge. The Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) is a complete linguistic system of visual-spatial manner,…

Pen-Enabled, Real-Time Student Engagement for Teaching in STEM Subjects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urban, Sylvia

2017-01-01

The introduction of pen-enabling devices has been demonstrated to increase a student's ability to solve problems, communicate, and learn during note taking. For the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects that are considered to be symbolic in nature, pen interfaces are better suited for visual-spatial content and also provide a…

Detecting Strengths and Weaknesses in Learning Mathematics through a Model Classifying Mathematical Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karagiannakis, Giannis N.; Baccaglini-Frank, Anna E.; Roussos, Petros

2016-01-01

Through a review of the literature on mathematical learning disabilities (MLD) and low achievement in mathematics (LA) we have proposed a model classifying mathematical skills involved in learning mathematics into four domains (Core number, Memory, Reasoning, and Visual-spatial). In this paper we present a new experimental computer-based battery…

Asperger Syndrome: Tests of Right Hemisphere Functioning and Interhemispheric Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gunter, Helen L.; Ghaziuddin, Mohammad; Ellis, Hadyn D.

2002-01-01

Eight participants with Asperger syndrome (AS) (ages 10-41) were assessed in the following areas: the pragmatics of language and communication; verbal and visual memory; visual-spatial abilities; and bimanual motor skills. Results confirmed the close similarity in the neuropsychologic profiles of non-verbal learning disabilities syndrome and AS.…

Architecture and Children: Learning Environments and Design Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Anne, Ed.; Muhlberger, Joe, Ed.

1998-01-01

This issue addresses (1) growing international interest in learning environments and their effects on behavior, and (2) design education, an integrated model for visual-spatial lifelong learning. It focuses on this new and emerging integrated field which integrates elements in education, new learning environment design, and the use of more two-…

Examination of the Effect of Drama Education on Multiple Intelligence Areas of Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Köksal Akyol, Aysel

2018-01-01

This study was conducted to determine whether or not drama education causes any difference in the verbal-linguistic, mathematical-logical, visual-spatial, musical-rhythmic, bodily-kinaesthetic, intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences of children. The sample group of the study consisted of 46 children (23 children in the experimental group…

Creativity, Problem Solving and Innovative Science: Insights from History, Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aldous, Carol R.

2007-01-01

This paper examines the intersection between creativity, problem solving, cognitive psychology and neuroscience in a discussion surrounding the genesis of new ideas and innovative science. Three creative activities are considered. These are (a) the interaction between visual-spatial and analytical or verbal reasoning, (b) attending to feeling in…

Children Composing and Their Visual-Spatial Approach to the Keyboard

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roels, Johanna Maria; Van Petegem, Peter

2015-01-01

This study aims to contribute to the already existing findings of children's compositional strategies and products. Despite the abundance of research provided regarding the manner in which children approach composing, little has been found about how children deal, specifically, with the structure of the keyboard. Therefore, from a context in which…

Piaget's Egocentrism: A Unitary Construct?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruthven, Avis J.; Cunningham, William L.

In order to determine whether egocentrism can be conceptualized as a unitary construct, 100 children (51 four-year-olds, 37 five-year-olds, and 12 six-year-olds) were administered a visual/spatial perspective task, a cognitive/communicative task, and an affective task. All tasks were designed to measure different facets of egocentrism. The 50…

Effects of Hearing Status and Sign Language Use on Working Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marschark, Marc; Sarchet, Thomastine; Trani, Alexandra

2016-01-01

Deaf individuals have been found to score lower than hearing individuals across a variety of memory tasks involving both verbal and nonverbal stimuli, particularly those requiring retention of serial order. Deaf individuals who are native signers, meanwhile, have been found to score higher on visual-spatial memory tasks than on verbal-sequential…

Dyslexia and the Studio: Bridging the Gap between Theory and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alden, Sandy; Pollock, Venda Louise

2011-01-01

It is generally accepted that art and design related disciplines attract a higher proportion of students with dyslexia than traditional academic counterparts. Combined with this is a prevalent perception that dyslexia predominantly affects students' writing and linguistic ability and it is this, as well as an increased visual-spatial sensibility,…

Effects of Anxiety on Memory Storage and Updating in Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Visu-Petra, Laura; Cheie, Lavinia; Benga, Oana; Alloway, Tracy Packiam

2011-01-01

The relationship between trait anxiety and memory functioning in young children was investigated. Two studies were conducted, using tasks tapping verbal and visual-spatial short-term memory (Study 1) and working memory (Study 2) in preschoolers. On the verbal storage tasks, there was a detrimental effect of anxiety on processing efficiency…

Working Memory Components as Predictors of Children's Mathematical Word Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Xinhua; Swanson, H. Lee; Marcoulides, George A.

2011-01-01

This study determined the working memory (WM) components (executive, phonological loop, and visual-spatial sketchpad) that best predicted mathematical word problem-solving accuracy of elementary school children in Grades 2, 3, and 4 (N = 310). A battery of tests was administered to assess problem-solving accuracy, problem-solving processes, WM,…

Handwriting Error Patterns of Children with Mild Motor Difficulties.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malloy-Miller, Theresa; And Others

1995-01-01

A test of handwriting legibility and 6 perceptual-motor tests were completed by 66 children ages 7-12. Among handwriting error patterns, execution was associated with visual-motor skill and sensory discrimination, aiming with visual-motor and fine-motor skills. The visual-spatial factor had no significant association with perceptual-motor…

Working Memory and Intelligence in Children: What Develops?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, H. Lee

2008-01-01

This study explored the contribution of the phonological and executive working memory (WM) systems to 205 (102 girls, 103 boys, 6 to 9 years old) elementary school children's fluid and crystallized intelligence. The results show that (a) a 3-factor structure (phonological short-term memory [STM], visual-spatial WM, and verbal WM) was comparable…

Signs of Change: Contemporary Attitudes to Australian Sign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slegers, Claudia

2010-01-01

This study explores contemporary attitudes to Australian Sign Language (Auslan). Since at least the 1960s, sign languages have been accepted by linguists as natural languages with all of the key ingredients common to spoken languages. However, these visual-spatial languages have historically been subject to ignorance and myth in Australia and…

Computer-Based Working Memory Training in Children with Mild Intellectual Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delavarian, Mona; Bokharaeian, Behrouz; Towhidkhah, Farzad; Gharibzadeh, Shahriar

2015-01-01

We designed a working memory (WM) training programme in game framework for mild intellectually disabled students. Twenty-four students participated as test and control groups. The auditory and visual-spatial WM were assessed by primary test, which included computerised Wechsler numerical forward and backward sub-tests and secondary tests, which…

Women and Mathematics: Research vs. Achievement in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abel, Theodora Mead; And Others

Many educators and researchers who believe that girls have less mathematical ability than boys associate this deficiency with girls' inferior spatial ability. This generally accepted belief that spatial skills are a major prerequisite for math achievement was tested through a study of the visual-spatial skills of a sample of 32 professional…

Supramodal Enhancement of Auditory Perceptual and Cognitive Learning by Video Game Playing.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu-Xuan; Tang, Ding-Lan; Moore, David R; Amitay, Sygal

2017-01-01

Medical rehabilitation involving behavioral training can produce highly successful outcomes, but those successes are obtained at the cost of long periods of often tedious training, reducing compliance. By contrast, arcade-style video games can be entertaining and highly motivating. We examine here the impact of video game play on contiguous perceptual training. We alternated several periods of auditory pure-tone frequency discrimination (FD) with the popular spatial visual-motor game Tetris played in silence. Tetris play alone did not produce any auditory or cognitive benefits. However, when alternated with FD training it enhanced learning of FD and auditory working memory. The learning-enhancing effects of Tetris play cannot be explained simply by the visual-spatial training involved, as the effects were gone when Tetris play was replaced with another visual-spatial task using Tetris-like stimuli but not incorporated into a game environment. The results indicate that game play enhances learning and transfer of the contiguous auditory experiences, pointing to a promising approach for increasing the efficiency and applicability of rehabilitative training.

Reading disabilities in children: A selective meta-analysis of the cognitive literature.

PubMed

Kudo, Milagros F; Lussier, Cathy M; Swanson, H Lee

2015-05-01

This article synthesizes literature that compares the academic, cognitive, and behavioral performance of children with and without reading disabilities (RD). Forty-eight studies met the criteria for the meta-analysis, yielding 735 effect sizes (ESs) with an overall weighted ES of 0.98. Small to high ESs in favor of children without RD emerged on measures of cognition (rapid naming [ES = 0.89], phonological awareness [ES = 1.00], verbal working memory [ES = 0.79], short-term memory [ES = 0.56], visual-spatial memory [ES = 0.48], and executive processing [ES = 0.67]), academic achievement (pseudoword reading [ES = 1.85], math [ES = 1.20], vocabulary [ES = 0.83], spelling [ES = 1.25], and writing [ES = 1.20]), and behavior skills (ES = 0.80). Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that specific cognitive process measures (verbal working memory, visual-spatial memory, executive processing, and short-term memory) and intelligence measures (general and verbal intelligence) significantly moderated overall group effect size differences. Overall, the results supported the assumption that cognitive deficits in children with RD are persistent. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Neurophysiological Correlates of Attentional Fluctuation in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Cheung, Celeste H M; McLoughlin, Gráinne; Brandeis, Daniel; Banaschewski, Tobias; Asherson, Philip; Kuntsi, Jonna

2017-05-01

Cognitive performance in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is characterised, in part, by frequent fluctuations in response speed, resulting in high reaction time variability (RTV). RTV captures a large proportion of the genetic risk in ADHD but, importantly, is malleable, improving significantly in a fast-paced, rewarded task condition. Using the temporal precision offered by event-related potentials (ERPs), we aimed to examine the neurophysiological measures of attention allocation (P3 amplitudes) and preparation (contingent negative variation, CNV), and their associations with the fluctuating RT performance and its improvement in ADHD. 93 participants with ADHD and 174 controls completed the baseline and fast-incentive conditions of a four-choice reaction time task, while EEG was simultaneously recorded. Compared to controls, individuals with ADHD showed both increased RTV and reduced P3 amplitudes during performance on the RT task. In the participants with ADHD, attenuated P3 amplitudes were significantly associated with high RTV, and the increase in P3 amplitudes from a slow baseline to a fast-paced, rewarded condition was significantly associated with the RTV decrease. Yet, the individuals with ADHD did not show the same increase in CNV from baseline to fast-incentive condition as observed in controls. ADHD is associated both with a neurophysiological impairment of attention allocation (P3 amplitudes) and an inability to adjust the preparatory state (CNV) in a changed context. Our findings suggest that both neurophysiological and cognitive performance measures of attention are malleable in ADHD, which are potential targets for non-pharmacological interventions.

Auditory neural networks involved in attention modulation prefer biologically significant sounds and exhibit sexual dimorphism in anurans.

PubMed

Xue, Fei; Yue, Xizi; Fan, Yanzhu; Cui, Jianguo; Brauth, Steven E; Tang, Yezhong; Fang, Guangzhan

2018-03-09

Allocating attention to biologically relevant stimuli in a complex environment is critically important for survival and reproductive success. In humans, attention modulation is regulated by the frontal cortex, and is often reflected by changes in specific components of the event-related potential (ERP). Although brain networks for attention modulation have been widely studied in primates and avian species, little is known about attention modulation in amphibians. The present study aimed to investigate the attention modulation networks in an anuran species, the Emei music frog ( Babina daunchina ). Male music frogs produce advertisement calls from within underground nest burrows that modify the acoustic features of the calls, and both males and females prefer calls produced from inside burrows. We broadcast call stimuli to male and female music frogs while simultaneously recording electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from the telencephalon and mesencephalon. Granger causal connectivity analysis was used to elucidate functional brain networks within the time window of ERP components. The results show that calls produced from inside nests which are highly sexually attractive result in the strongest brain connections; both ascending and descending connections involving the left telencephalon were stronger in males while those in females were stronger with the right telencephalon. Our findings indicate that the frog brain allocates neural attention resources to highly attractive sounds within the window of early components of ERP, and that such processing is sexually dimorphic, presumably reflecting the different reproductive strategies of males and females. © 2018. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Oscillations during observations: Dynamic oscillatory networks serving visuospatial attention.

PubMed

Wiesman, Alex I; Heinrichs-Graham, Elizabeth; Proskovec, Amy L; McDermott, Timothy J; Wilson, Tony W

2017-10-01

The dynamic allocation of neural resources to discrete features within a visual scene enables us to react quickly and accurately to salient environmental circumstances. A network of bilateral cortical regions is known to subserve such visuospatial attention functions; however the oscillatory and functional connectivity dynamics of information coding within this network are not fully understood. Particularly, the coding of information within prototypical attention-network hubs and the subsecond functional connections formed between these hubs have not been adequately characterized. Herein, we use the precise temporal resolution of magnetoencephalography (MEG) to define spectrally specific functional nodes and connections that underlie the deployment of attention in visual space. Twenty-three healthy young adults completed a visuospatial discrimination task designed to elicit multispectral activity in visual cortex during MEG, and the resulting data were preprocessed and reconstructed in the time-frequency domain. Oscillatory responses were projected to the cortical surface using a beamformer, and time series were extracted from peak voxels to examine their temporal evolution. Dynamic functional connectivity was then computed between nodes within each frequency band of interest. We find that visual attention network nodes are defined functionally by oscillatory frequency, that the allocation of attention to the visual space dynamically modulates functional connectivity between these regions on a millisecond timescale, and that these modulations significantly correlate with performance on a spatial discrimination task. We conclude that functional hubs underlying visuospatial attention are segregated not only anatomically but also by oscillatory frequency, and importantly that these oscillatory signatures promote dynamic communication between these hubs. Hum Brain Mapp 38:5128-5140, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Unregulated drinking water initiative for environmental surveillance and public health.

PubMed

Backer, Lorraine C; Tosta, Nancy

2011-03-01

The critical public health need to assess and protect the drinking water used by 37 million Americans requires attention and resources. NCEH, in partnership with states, has begun the process to identify information available on unregulated drinking water sources to improve the availability of data to support decisive public health actions and resource allocation. Far more attention and resources are needed to complete this process.

Brief Report: Broad Autism Phenotype in Adults Is Associated with Performance on an Eye-Tracking Measure of Joint Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swanson, Meghan R.; Siller, Michael

2014-01-01

The current study takes advantage of modern eye-tracking technology and evaluates how individuals allocate their attention when viewing social videos that display an adult model who is gazing at a series of targets that appear and disappear in the four corners of the screen (congruent condition), or gazing elsewhere (incongruent condition). Data…

Improved personalized recommendation based on a similarity network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Ximeng; Liu, Yun; Xiong, Fei

2016-08-01

A recommender system helps individual users find the preferred items rapidly and has attracted extensive attention in recent years. Many successful recommendation algorithms are designed on bipartite networks, such as network-based inference or heat conduction. However, most of these algorithms define the resource-allocation methods for an average allocation. That is not reasonable because average allocation cannot indicate the user choice preference and the influence between users which leads to a series of non-personalized recommendation results. We propose a personalized recommendation approach that combines the similarity function and bipartite network to generate a similarity network that improves the resource-allocation process. Our model introduces user influence into the recommender system and states that the user influence can make the resource-allocation process more reasonable. We use four different metrics to evaluate our algorithms for three benchmark data sets. Experimental results show that the improved recommendation on a similarity network can obtain better accuracy and diversity than some competing approaches.

Opportunistic Capacity-Based Resource Allocation for Chunk-Based Multi-Carrier Cognitive Radio Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Huang, Jie; Zeng, Xiaoping; Jian, Xin; Tan, Xiaoheng; Zhang, Qi

2017-01-01

The spectrum allocation for cognitive radio sensor networks (CRSNs) has received considerable research attention under the assumption that the spectrum environment is static. However, in practice, the spectrum environment varies over time due to primary user/secondary user (PU/SU) activity and mobility, resulting in time-varied spectrum resources. This paper studies resource allocation for chunk-based multi-carrier CRSNs with time-varied spectrum resources. We present a novel opportunistic capacity model through a continuous time semi-Markov chain (CTSMC) to describe the time-varied spectrum resources of chunks and, based on this, a joint power and chunk allocation model by considering the opportunistically available capacity of chunks is proposed. To reduce the computational complexity, we split this model into two sub-problems and solve them via the Lagrangian dual method. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed opportunistic capacity-based resource allocation algorithm can achieve better performance compared with traditional algorithms when the spectrum environment is time-varied. PMID:28106803

Selective attention to facial emotion in physically abused children.

PubMed

Pollak, Seth D; Tolley-Schell, Stephanie A

2003-08-01

The ability to allocate attention to emotional cues in the environment is an important feature of adaptive self-regulation. Existing data suggest that physically abused children overattend to angry expressions, but the attentional mechanisms underlying such behavior are unknown. The authors tested 8-11-year-old physically abused children to determine whether they displayed specific information-processing problems in a selective attention paradigm using emotional faces as cues. Physically abused children demonstrated delayed disengagement when angry faces served as invalid cues. Abused children also demonstrated increased attentional benefits on valid angry trials. Results are discussed in terms of the influence of early adverse experience on children's selective attention to threat-related signals as a mechanism in the development of psychopathology.

The N1-suppression effect for self-initiated sounds is independent of attention

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background If we initiate a sound by our own motor behavior, the N1 component of the auditory event-related brain potential (ERP) that the sound elicits is attenuated compared to the N1 elicited by the same sound when it is initiated externally. It has been suggested that this N1 suppression results from an internal predictive mechanism that is in the service of discriminating the sensory consequences of one’s own actions from other sensory input. As the N1-suppression effect is becoming a popular approach to investigate predictive processing in cognitive and social neuroscience, it is important to exclude an alternative interpretation not related to prediction. According to the attentional account, the N1 suppression is due to a difference in the allocation of attention between self- and externally-initiated sounds. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated the allocation of attention to the sounds in different blocks: Attention was directed either to the sounds, to the own motor acts or to visual stimuli. If attention causes the N1-suppression effect, then manipulating attention should affect the effect for self-initiated sounds. Results We found N1 suppression in all conditions. The N1 per se was affected by attention, but there was no interaction between attention and self-initiation effects. This implies that self-initiation N1 effects are not caused by attention. Conclusions The present results support the assumption that the N1-suppression effect for self-initiated sounds indicates the operation of an internal predictive mechanism. Furthermore, while attention had an influence on the N1a, N1b, and N1c components, the N1-suppression effect was confined to the N1b and N1c subcomponents suggesting that the major contribution to the auditory N1-suppression effect is circumscribed to late N1 components. PMID:23281832

For Whom the Bell Tolls: Neurocognitive Individual Differences in the Acute Stress-Reduction Effects of an Attention Bias Modification Game for Anxiety

PubMed Central

Dennis-Tiwary, Tracy; Egan, Laura J.; Babkirk, Sarah; Denefrio, Samantha

2016-01-01

The efficacy of attention bias modification training (ABMT) for anxiety is debated, in part because individual differences in task engagement and pre-training threat bias impact training efficacy. In the present study, an engaging, gamified ABMT mobile application, or “app,” was utilized in 42 (21 females) trait-anxious adults. EEG was recorded during pre- and post-training threat bias assessment to generate scalp-recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) reflecting neurocognitive responses to threat. Following app play (ABMT versus placebo), subjective anxiety and stress responses (observed and self-reported) were measured. ABMT, versus placebo, resulted in improved behavioral performance during the stress task for females only. No difference was found between training groups in self-reported anxiety. ABMT resulted in improved performance during the stress task among those evidencing specific pre-training ERP responses: decreased P1 amplitudes, suggesting less attention allocation, but potentiated N170 amplitudes, suggesting enhanced attention selection and discrimination. Individual differences in behavioral threat bias did not moderate training effects. Results suggest that efficient initial allocation of attention to threat combined with enhanced recruitment of sensory gain mechanisms may underlie positive ABMT effects on anxiety-related stress. Targeting neurocognitive responses to threat to personalize ABMT and develop more effective methods of treatment delivery, such as gamification, are discussed. PMID:26745621

Attentional Bias for Threat in Older Adults: Moderation of the Positivity Bias by Trait Anxiety and Stimulus Modality

PubMed Central

Lee, Lewina O.; Knight, Bob G.

2009-01-01

Socioemotional selectivity theory suggests that emotion regulation goals motivate older adults to preferentially allocate attention to positive stimuli and away from negative stimuli. This study examined whether anxiety moderates the effect of the positivity bias on attention for threat. We employed the dot probe task to compare subliminal and supraliminal attention for threat in 103 young and 44 older adults. Regardless of anxiety, older but not younger adults demonstrated a vigilant-avoidant response to angry faces. Anxiety influenced older adults’ attention such that anxious individuals demonstrated a vigilant-avoidant reaction to sad faces, but an avoidant-vigilant reaction to negative words. PMID:19739931

Guidance of visual attention by semantic information in real-world scenes

PubMed Central

Wu, Chia-Chien; Wick, Farahnaz Ahmed; Pomplun, Marc

2014-01-01

Recent research on attentional guidance in real-world scenes has focused on object recognition within the context of a scene. This approach has been valuable for determining some factors that drive the allocation of visual attention and determine visual selection. This article provides a review of experimental work on how different components of context, especially semantic information, affect attentional deployment. We review work from the areas of object recognition, scene perception, and visual search, highlighting recent studies examining semantic structure in real-world scenes. A better understanding on how humans parse scene representations will not only improve current models of visual attention but also advance next-generation computer vision systems and human-computer interfaces. PMID:24567724

Contextual control of attentional allocation in human discrimination learning.

PubMed

Uengoer, Metin; Lachnit, Harald; Lotz, Anja; Koenig, Stephan; Pearce, John M

2013-01-01

In 3 human predictive learning experiments, we investigated whether the allocation of attention can come under the control of contextual stimuli. In each experiment, participants initially received a conditional discrimination for which one set of cues was trained as relevant in Context 1 and irrelevant in Context 2, and another set was relevant in Context 2 and irrelevant in Context 1. For Experiments 1 and 2, we observed that a second discrimination based on cues that had previously been trained as relevant in Context 1 during the conditional discrimination was acquired more rapidly in Context 1 than in Context 2. Experiment 3 revealed a similar outcome when new stimuli from the original dimensions were used in the test stage. Our results support the view that the associability of a stimulus can be controlled by the stimuli that accompany it.

Optimal control model predictions of system performance and attention allocation and their experimental validation in a display design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johannsen, G.; Govindaraj, T.

1980-01-01

The influence of different types of predictor displays in a longitudinal vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) hover task is analyzed in a theoretical study. Several cases with differing amounts of predictive and rate information are compared. The optimal control model of the human operator is used to estimate human and system performance in terms of root-mean-square (rms) values and to compute optimized attention allocation. The only part of the model which is varied to predict these data is the observation matrix. Typical cases are selected for a subsequent experimental validation. The rms values as well as eye-movement data are recorded. The results agree favorably with those of the theoretical study in terms of relative differences. Better matching is achieved by revised model input data.

Using auditory pre-information to solve the cocktail-party problem: electrophysiological evidence for age-specific differences.

PubMed

Getzmann, Stephan; Lewald, Jörg; Falkenstein, Michael

2014-01-01

Speech understanding in complex and dynamic listening environments requires (a) auditory scene analysis, namely auditory object formation and segregation, and (b) allocation of the attentional focus to the talker of interest. There is evidence that pre-information is actively used to facilitate these two aspects of the so-called "cocktail-party" problem. Here, a simulated multi-talker scenario was combined with electroencephalography to study scene analysis and allocation of attention in young and middle-aged adults. Sequences of short words (combinations of brief company names and stock-price values) from four talkers at different locations were simultaneously presented, and the detection of target names and the discrimination between critical target values were assessed. Immediately prior to speech sequences, auditory pre-information was provided via cues that either prepared auditory scene analysis or attentional focusing, or non-specific pre-information was given. While performance was generally better in younger than older participants, both age groups benefited from auditory pre-information. The analysis of the cue-related event-related potentials revealed age-specific differences in the use of pre-cues: Younger adults showed a pronounced N2 component, suggesting early inhibition of concurrent speech stimuli; older adults exhibited a stronger late P3 component, suggesting increased resource allocation to process the pre-information. In sum, the results argue for an age-specific utilization of auditory pre-information to improve listening in complex dynamic auditory environments.

Using auditory pre-information to solve the cocktail-party problem: electrophysiological evidence for age-specific differences

PubMed Central

Getzmann, Stephan; Lewald, Jörg; Falkenstein, Michael

2014-01-01

Speech understanding in complex and dynamic listening environments requires (a) auditory scene analysis, namely auditory object formation and segregation, and (b) allocation of the attentional focus to the talker of interest. There is evidence that pre-information is actively used to facilitate these two aspects of the so-called “cocktail-party” problem. Here, a simulated multi-talker scenario was combined with electroencephalography to study scene analysis and allocation of attention in young and middle-aged adults. Sequences of short words (combinations of brief company names and stock-price values) from four talkers at different locations were simultaneously presented, and the detection of target names and the discrimination between critical target values were assessed. Immediately prior to speech sequences, auditory pre-information was provided via cues that either prepared auditory scene analysis or attentional focusing, or non-specific pre-information was given. While performance was generally better in younger than older participants, both age groups benefited from auditory pre-information. The analysis of the cue-related event-related potentials revealed age-specific differences in the use of pre-cues: Younger adults showed a pronounced N2 component, suggesting early inhibition of concurrent speech stimuli; older adults exhibited a stronger late P3 component, suggesting increased resource allocation to process the pre-information. In sum, the results argue for an age-specific utilization of auditory pre-information to improve listening in complex dynamic auditory environments. PMID:25540608

Autism As a Disorder of High Intelligence

PubMed Central

Crespi, Bernard J.

2016-01-01

A suite of recent studies has reported positive genetic correlations between autism risk and measures of mental ability. These findings indicate that alleles for autism overlap broadly with alleles for high intelligence, which appears paradoxical given that autism is characterized, overall, by below-average IQ. This paradox can be resolved under the hypothesis that autism etiology commonly involves enhanced, but imbalanced, components of intelligence. This hypothesis is supported by convergent evidence showing that autism and high IQ share a diverse set of convergent correlates, including large brain size, fast brain growth, increased sensory and visual-spatial abilities, enhanced synaptic functions, increased attentional focus, high socioeconomic status, more deliberative decision-making, profession and occupational interests in engineering and physical sciences, and high levels of positive assortative mating. These findings help to provide an evolutionary basis to understanding autism risk as underlain in part by dysregulation of intelligence, a core human-specific adaptation. In turn, integration of studies on intelligence with studies of autism should provide novel insights into the neurological and genetic causes of high mental abilities, with important implications for cognitive enhancement, artificial intelligence, the relationship of autism with schizophrenia, and the treatment of both autism and intellectual disability. PMID:27445671

Audition dominates vision in duration perception irrespective of salience, attention, and temporal discriminability

PubMed Central

Ortega, Laura; Guzman-Martinez, Emmanuel; Grabowecky, Marcia; Suzuki, Satoru

2014-01-01

Whereas the visual modality tends to dominate over the auditory modality in bimodal spatial perception, the auditory modality tends to dominate over the visual modality in bimodal temporal perception. Recent results suggest that the visual modality dominates bimodal spatial perception because spatial discriminability is typically greater for the visual than auditory modality; accordingly, visual dominance is eliminated or reversed when visual-spatial discriminability is reduced by degrading visual stimuli to be equivalent or inferior to auditory spatial discriminability. Thus, for spatial perception, the modality that provides greater discriminability dominates. Here we ask whether auditory dominance in duration perception is similarly explained by factors that influence the relative quality of auditory and visual signals. In contrast to the spatial results, the auditory modality dominated over the visual modality in bimodal duration perception even when the auditory signal was clearly weaker, when the auditory signal was ignored (i.e., the visual signal was selectively attended), and when the temporal discriminability was equivalent for the auditory and visual signals. Thus, unlike spatial perception where the modality carrying more discriminable signals dominates, duration perception seems to be mandatorily linked to auditory processing under most circumstances. PMID:24806403

Autism As a Disorder of High Intelligence.

PubMed

Crespi, Bernard J

2016-01-01

A suite of recent studies has reported positive genetic correlations between autism risk and measures of mental ability. These findings indicate that alleles for autism overlap broadly with alleles for high intelligence, which appears paradoxical given that autism is characterized, overall, by below-average IQ. This paradox can be resolved under the hypothesis that autism etiology commonly involves enhanced, but imbalanced, components of intelligence. This hypothesis is supported by convergent evidence showing that autism and high IQ share a diverse set of convergent correlates, including large brain size, fast brain growth, increased sensory and visual-spatial abilities, enhanced synaptic functions, increased attentional focus, high socioeconomic status, more deliberative decision-making, profession and occupational interests in engineering and physical sciences, and high levels of positive assortative mating. These findings help to provide an evolutionary basis to understanding autism risk as underlain in part by dysregulation of intelligence, a core human-specific adaptation. In turn, integration of studies on intelligence with studies of autism should provide novel insights into the neurological and genetic causes of high mental abilities, with important implications for cognitive enhancement, artificial intelligence, the relationship of autism with schizophrenia, and the treatment of both autism and intellectual disability.

Neuropsychological Profile of a Girl with Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome.

PubMed

Byrne, Andrea M; Schechter, Tal; Westmacott, Robyn

2018-03-01

We report the neuropsychological profile of a 6-year-old girl with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare X-linked immunodeficiency disorder associated with thrombocytopenia, eczema, recurrent infections, and malignancy. Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome occurs almost exclusively in males and is extremely rare in females, with no known research focused on cognitive and academic functioning in this population. Our patient was referred due to concerns about her memory and academic functioning. She had a history of progressive thrombocytopenia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at age 15 months. Standardized measures of intellectual ability, language, visual-spatial and visual-motor skills, attention, memory, and academic achievement were administered. The results showed average to above-average performance in multiple areas of cognitive and academic functioning, with weaknesses in phonological awareness and rapid naming. The advent of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has led to considerable improvement in the long-term prognosis of children with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Although the impact of this syndrome and related conditions on neurocognitive development is presently unknown, this case highlights both the importance of considering base rates for commonly occurring conditions and the significant role neuropsychology can play in identifying cognitive strengths and weaknesses in the context of the developing brain.

A motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: regulatory focus affects recognition of emotions in faces.

PubMed

Sassenrath, Claudia; Sassenberg, Kai; Ray, Devin G; Scheiter, Katharina; Jarodzka, Halszka

2014-01-01

Two studies examined an unexplored motivational determinant of facial emotion recognition: observer regulatory focus. It was predicted that a promotion focus would enhance facial emotion recognition relative to a prevention focus because the attentional strategies associated with promotion focus enhance performance on well-learned or innate tasks - such as facial emotion recognition. In Study 1, a promotion or a prevention focus was experimentally induced and better facial emotion recognition was observed in a promotion focus compared to a prevention focus. In Study 2, individual differences in chronic regulatory focus were assessed and attention allocation was measured using eye tracking during the facial emotion recognition task. Results indicated that the positive relation between a promotion focus and facial emotion recognition is mediated by shorter fixation duration on the face which reflects a pattern of attention allocation matched to the eager strategy in a promotion focus (i.e., striving to make hits). A prevention focus did not have an impact neither on perceptual processing nor on facial emotion recognition. Taken together, these findings demonstrate important mechanisms and consequences of observer motivational orientation for facial emotion recognition.

Neuronal basis of covert spatial attention in the frontal eye field.

PubMed

Thompson, Kirk G; Biscoe, Keri L; Sato, Takashi R

2005-10-12

The influential "premotor theory of attention" proposes that developing oculomotor commands mediate covert visual spatial attention. A likely source of this attentional bias is the frontal eye field (FEF), an area of the frontal cortex involved in converting visual information into saccade commands. We investigated the link between FEF activity and covert spatial attention by recording from FEF visual and saccade-related neurons in monkeys performing covert visual search tasks without eye movements. Here we show that the source of attention signals in the FEF is enhanced activity of visually responsive neurons. At the time attention is allocated to the visual search target, nonvisually responsive saccade-related movement neurons are inhibited. Therefore, in the FEF, spatial attention signals are independent of explicit saccade command signals. We propose that spatially selective activity in FEF visually responsive neurons corresponds to the mental spotlight of attention via modulation of ongoing visual processing.

Eyes wide shut: implied social presence, eye tracking and attention.

PubMed

Risko, Evan F; Kingstone, Alan

2011-02-01

People often behave differently when they know they are being watched. Here, we report the first investigation of whether such social presence effects also influence looking behavior--a popular measure of attention allocation. We demonstrate that wearing an eye tracker, an implied social presence, leads individuals to avoid looking at particular stimuli. These results demonstrate that an implied social presence, here an eye tracker, can alter looking behavior. These data provide a new manipulation of social attention, as well as presenting a methodological challenge to researchers using eye tracking.

Perceptions of Chemistry: Why Is the Common Perception of Chemistry, the Most Visual of Sciences, So Distorted?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Habraken, Clarisse L.

1996-01-01

Highlights the need to reinvigorate chemistry education by means of the visual-spatial approach, an approach wholly in conformance with the way modern chemistry is thought about and practiced. Discusses the changing world, multiple intelligences, imagery, chemistry's pictorial language, and perceptions in chemistry. Presents suggestions on how to…

Prenatal Testosterone, Visual-Spatial Memory, and Numerical Skills in Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bull, Rebecca; Davidson, Wendy Anne; Nordmann, Emily

2010-01-01

Lateralization of the brain is strongly influenced by prenatal androgens, with differential exposure thought to account for cognitive sex differences. This study investigated sex and individual differences and relationships between 2D:4D (the ratio of the 2nd to 4th digit [digit ratio] as a proxy indicator of prenatal testosterone exposure),…

Examining Chemistry Students Visual-Perceptual Skills Using the VSCS Tool and Interview Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christian, Caroline

2010-01-01

The Visual-Spatial Chemistry Specific (VSCS) assessment tool was developed to test students' visual-perceptual skills, which are required to form a mental image of an object. The VSCS was designed around the theoretical framework of Rochford and Archer that provides eight distinct and well-defined visual-perceptual skills with identified problems…

Comparison of Visual-Spatial Performance Strategy Training in Children with Turner Syndrome and Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Janet K.; And Others

1992-01-01

Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, ages 7-14, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. All three groups showed significant task improvement after the training, with no significant…

Spatial Construction Skills of Chimpanzees ("Pan Troglodytes") and Young Human Children ("Homo Sapiens Sapiens")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poti, Patrizia; Hayashi, Misato; Matsuzawa, Tetsuro

2009-01-01

Spatial construction tasks are basic tests of visual-spatial processing. Two studies have assessed spatial construction skills in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and young children (Homo sapiens sapiens) with a block modelling task. Study 1a subjects were three young chimpanzees and five adult chimpanzees. Study 1b subjects were 30 human children…

Autism and the Artistic Imagination: The Link between Visual Thinking and Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berube, Clair T.

2007-01-01

The author employs Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences to frame a discussion about the abilities of children on the Autism spectrum. Since children possess special gifts in visual/spatial areas, an argument is made to support this ability instead of "correcting" it into a more "normal" range. References from Dr. Temple Grandin's life…

Children with Praderwilli Syndrome Vs. Williams Syndrome: Indirect Effects on Parents during a Jigsaw Puzzle Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ly, T. M.; Hodapp, R. M.

2005-01-01

Background: Genetic disorders predispose individuals to exhibit characteristic behaviours, which in turn elicit particular behaviours from others. In response to the strength of Prader?Willi syndrome (PWS) and weakness of Williams syndrome (WS) in visual-spatial tasks such as jigsaw puzzles, parents' behaviours can be affected by their child's…

The Effects of Training on Visual-Spatial Disembedding Skills in Early Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Avant, Sherice Brake

2017-01-01

The overall goal of the present study was to develop, implement, and test the effectiveness of a curriculum designed to improve spatial thinking amongst preschool children. Specifically, the study explored the effects of shape-based training on 4-year-old children's ability to disembed and whether the training transferred to improvement in mental…

Counter-regulating on the Internet: Threat elicits preferential processing of positive information.

PubMed

Greving, Hannah; Sassenberg, Kai; Fetterman, Adam

2015-09-01

The Internet is a central source of information. It is increasingly used for information search in self-relevant domains (e.g., health). Self-relevant topics are also associated with specific emotions and motivational states. For example, individuals may fear serious illness and feel threatened. Thus far, the impact of threat has received little attention in Internet-based research. The current studies investigated how threat influences Internet search. Threat is known to elicit the preferential processing of positive information. The self-directed nature of Internet search should particularly provide opportunities for such processing behavior. We predicted that during Internet search, more positive information would be processed (i.e., allocated more attention to) and more positive knowledge would be acquired under threat than in a control condition. Three experiments supported this prediction: Under threat, attention is directed more to positive web pages (Study 1) and positive links (Study 2), and more positive information is acquired (Studies 1 and 3) than in a control condition. Notably, the effect on knowledge acquisition was mediated by the effect on attention allocation during an actual Internet search (Study 1). Thus, Internet search under threat leads to selective processing of positive information and dampens threatened individuals' negative affect. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

The impact of social exclusion on anticipatory attentional processing.

PubMed

Kiat, John E; Cheadle, Jacob E; Goosby, Bridget J

2018-01-01

The importance of understanding how we anticipate and prepare for social rejection is underscored by the mental and physical toll of continual social vigilance. In this study, we investigate the impact of social rejection on anticipatory attentional processes using the well-known Cyberball task, a paradigm in which participants engage in a game of catch with virtual avatars who after an initial period of fair-play (inclusion condition) then exclude the participant from the game (exclusion condition). The degree of anticipatory attention allocated by subjects towards the avatars was assessed by measuring P3b responses towards the avatars' preparatory actions (i.e. the phase preceding their exclusionary actions) using high density EEG. The results of the study show that relative to the inclusion, participants exhibit elevated levels of anticipatory attentional allocation towards the avatars during the exclusion block. This shift was however significantly moderated by participants' self-reported cognitive regulation tendencies. Participants with higher levels of self-reported cognitive reappraisal tendencies showed larger anticipatory P3b increases from the inclusion to exclusion block relative to participants with reduced levels of reappraisal tendencies. These results highlight the impact of social exclusion on anticipatory neural processing and the moderating role of cognitive reappraisal on these effects. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control

PubMed Central

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-01-01

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion’s effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy. PMID:27511746

Extinction of likes and dislikes: effects of feature-specific attention allocation.

PubMed

Vanaelst, Jolien; Spruyt, Adriaan; Everaert, Tom; De Houwer, Jan

2017-12-01

The evaluative conditioning (EC) effect refers to the change in the liking of a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, CS) due to its pairing with another stimulus (unconditioned stimulus, US). We examined whether the extinction rate of the EC effect is moderated by feature-specific attention allocation. In two experiments, CSs were abstract Gabor patches varying along two orthogonal, perceptual dimensions (i.e. spatial frequency and orientation). During the acquisition phase, one of these dimensions was predictive of the valence of the USs. During the extinction phase, CSs were presented alone and participants were asked to categorise the CSs either according to their valence, the perceptual dimension that was task-relevant during the acquisition phase, or a perceptual dimension that was task-irrelevant during the acquisition phase. As predicted, explicit valence measures revealed a linear increase in the extinction rate of the EC effect as participants were encouraged to assign attention to non-evaluative stimulus information during the extinction phase. In Experiment 1, Affect Misattribution Paradigm (AMP) data mimicked this pattern of results, although the effect just missed conventional levels of significance. In Experiment 2, the AMP data revealed an increase of the EC effect if attention was focused on evaluative stimulus information. Potential mechanisms to explain these findings are discussed.

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-08-01

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion’s effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy.

Social exclusion modulates priorities of attention allocation in cognitive control.

PubMed

Xu, Mengsi; Li, Zhiai; Diao, Liuting; Zhang, Lijie; Yuan, Jiajin; Ding, Cody; Yang, Dong

2016-08-11

Many studies have investigated how exclusion affects cognitive control and have reported inconsistent results. However, these studies usually treated cognitive control as a unitary concept, whereas it actually involved two main sub-processes: conflict detection and response implementation. Furthermore, existing studies have focused primarily on exclusion's effects on conscious cognitive control, while recent studies have shown the existence of unconscious cognitive control. Therefore, the present study investigated whether and how exclusion affects the sub-processes underlying conscious and unconscious cognitive control differently. The Cyberball game was used to manipulate social exclusion and participants subsequently performed a masked Go/No-Go task during which event-related potentials were measured. For conscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a larger N2 but smaller P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest more attention in conscious conflict detection, but less in conscious inhibition of impulsive responses. However, for unconscious cognitive control, excluded participants showed a smaller N2 but larger P3 effects than included participants, suggesting that excluded people invest less attention in unconscious conflict detection, but more in unconscious inhibition of impulsive responses. Together, these results suggest that exclusion causes people to rebalance attention allocation priorities for cognitive control according to a more flexible and adaptive strategy.

More attentional focusing through binaural beats: evidence from the global-local task.

PubMed

Colzato, Lorenza S; Barone, Hayley; Sellaro, Roberta; Hommel, Bernhard

2017-01-01

A recent study showed that binaural beats have an impact on the efficiency of allocating attention over time. We were interested to see whether this impact affects attentional focusing or, even further, the top-down control over irrelevant information. Healthy adults listened to gamma-frequency (40 Hz) binaural beats, which are assumed to increase attentional concentration, or a constant tone of 340 Hz (control condition) for 3 min before and during a global-local task. While the size of the congruency effect (indicating the failure to suppress task-irrelevant information) was unaffected by the binaural beats, the global-precedence effect (reflecting attentional focusing) was considerably smaller after gamma-frequency binaural beats than after the control condition. Our findings suggest that high-frequency binaural beats bias the individual attentional processing style towards a reduced spotlight of attention.

Linking state regulation, brain laterality, and self-reported attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in adults.

PubMed

Mohamed, Saleh M H; Börger, Norbert A; Geuze, Reint H; van der Meere, Jaap J

2016-10-01

Many clinical studies have shown that performance of subjects with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is impaired when stimuli are presented at a slow rate compared to a medium or fast rate. According to the cognitive-energetic model, this finding may reflect difficulty in allocating sufficient effort to regulate the motor activation state. Other studies have shown that the left hemisphere is relatively responsible for keeping humans motivated, allocating sufficient effort to complete their tasks. This leads to a prediction that poor effort allocation might be associated with an affected left-hemisphere functioning in ADHD. So far, this prediction has not been directly tested, which is the aim of the present study. Seventy-seven adults with various scores on the Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scale performed a lateralized lexical decision task in three conditions with stimuli presented in a fast, a medium, and a slow rate. The left-hemisphere functioning was measured in terms of visual field advantage (better performance for the right than for the left visual field). All subjects showed an increased right visual field advantage for word processing in the slow presentation rate of stimuli compared to the fast and the medium rate. Higher ADHD scores were related to a reduced right visual field advantage in the slow rate only. The present findings suggest that ADHD symptomatology is associated with less involvement of the left hemisphere when extra effort allocation is needed to optimize the low motor activation state.

An extra X or Y chromosome: contrasting the cognitive and motor phenotypes in childhood in boys with 47,XYY syndrome or 47,XXY Klinefelter syndrome

PubMed Central

Ross, Judith L.; Zeger, Martha P.D.; Kushner, Harvey; Zinn, Andrew R.; Roeltgen, David P.

2010-01-01

Objective The goal of this study was to contrast the cognitive phenotypes in boys with 47,XYY (XYY) karyotype and boys with 47,XXY karyotype (Klinefelter syndrome, KS), who share an extra copy of the X-Y pseudoautosomal region but differ in their dosage of strictly sex-linked genes. Methods Neuropsychological evaluation of general cognitive ability, language, memory, attention, visual-spatial abilities, visual-motor skills, and motor function. Results Study cohort: 21 boys with 47,XYY and 93 boys with 47,XXY (KS), ages 4-17 years, and 36 age-matched control boys. Both the XYY and KS groups performed less well, on average, than the controls on tests of general cognitive ability, achievement, language, verbal memory, some aspects of attention and executive function, and motor function. The boys with XYY on average had more severe and pervasive language impairment, at both simple and complex levels, and the boys with KS on average had greater motor impairment in gross motor function and coordination, especially in running speed and agility. Conclusions The results from these large XYY and KS cohorts have important neurocognitive and educational implications. From the neurocognitive standpoint, the presenting findings afford an opportunity to gain insights into brain development in boys with XYY and those with KS. From the educational standpoint, it is critical that boys with XYY or KS receive appropriate educational interventions that target their specific learning challenges. These findings also provide important information for counseling clinicians and families about these disorders. PMID:20014371

Discriminative stimuli that control instrumental tobacco-seeking by human smokers also command selective attention.

PubMed

Hogarth, Lee; Dickinson, Anthony; Duka, Theodora

2003-08-01

Incentive salience theory states that acquired bias in selective attention for stimuli associated with tobacco-smoke reinforcement controls the selective performance of tobacco-seeking and tobacco-taking behaviour. To support this theory, we assessed whether a stimulus that had acquired control of a tobacco-seeking response in a discrimination procedure would command the focus of visual attention in a subsequent test phase. Smokers received discrimination training in which an instrumental key-press response was followed by tobacco-smoke reinforcement when one visual discriminative stimulus (S+) was present, but not when another stimulus (S-) was present. The skin conductance response to the S+ and S- assessed whether Pavlovian conditioning to the S+ had taken place. In a subsequent test phase, the S+ and S- were presented in the dot-probe task and the allocation of the focus of visual attention to these stimuli was measured. Participants learned to perform the instrumental tobacco-seeking response selectively in the presence of the S+ relative to the S-, and showed a greater skin conductance response to the S+ than the S-. In the subsequent test phase, participants allocated the focus of visual attention to the S+ in preference to the S-. Correlation analysis revealed that the visual attentional bias for the S+ was positively associated with the number of times the S+ had been paired with tobacco-smoke in training, the skin conductance response to the S+ and with subjective craving to smoke. Furthermore, increased exposure to tobacco-smoke in the natural environment was associated with reduced discrimination learning. These data demonstrate that discriminative stimuli that signal that tobacco-smoke reinforcement is available acquire the capacity to command selective attentional and elicit instrumental tobacco-seeking behaviour.

Target objects defined by a conjunction of colour and shape can be selected independently and in parallel.

PubMed

Jenkins, Michael; Grubert, Anna; Eimer, Martin

2017-11-01

It is generally assumed that during search for targets defined by a feature conjunction, attention is allocated sequentially to individual objects. We tested this hypothesis by tracking the time course of attentional processing biases with the N2pc component in tasks where observers searched for two targets defined by a colour/shape conjunction. In Experiment 1, two displays presented in rapid succession (100 ms or 10 ms SOA) each contained a target and a colour-matching or shape-matching distractor on opposite sides. Target objects in both displays elicited N2pc components of similar size that overlapped in time when the SOA was 10 ms, suggesting that attention was allocated in parallel to both targets. Analogous results were found in Experiment 2, where targets and partially matching distractors were both accompanied by an object without target-matching features. Colour-matching and shape-matching distractors also elicited N2pc components, and the target N2pc was initially identical to the sum of the two distractor N2pcs, suggesting that the initial phase of attentional object selection was guided independently by feature templates for target colour and shape. Beyond 230 ms after display onset, the target N2pc became superadditive, indicating that attentional selection processes now started to be sensitive to the presence of feature conjunctions. Results show that independent attentional selection processes can be activated in parallel by two target objects in situations where these objects are defined by a feature conjunction.

Sustained Splits of Attention within versus across Visual Hemifields Produce Distinct Spatial Gain Profiles.

PubMed

Walter, Sabrina; Keitel, Christian; Müller, Matthias M

2016-01-01

Visual attention can be focused concurrently on two stimuli at noncontiguous locations while intermediate stimuli remain ignored. Nevertheless, behavioral performance in multifocal attention tasks falters when attended stimuli fall within one visual hemifield as opposed to when they are distributed across left and right hemifields. This "different-hemifield advantage" has been ascribed to largely independent processing capacities of each cerebral hemisphere in early visual cortices. Here, we investigated how this advantage influences the sustained division of spatial attention. We presented six isoeccentric light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the lower visual field, each flickering at a different frequency. Participants attended to two LEDs that were spatially separated by an intermediate LED and responded to synchronous events at to-be-attended LEDs. Task-relevant pairs of LEDs were either located in the same hemifield ("within-hemifield" conditions) or separated by the vertical meridian ("across-hemifield" conditions). Flicker-driven brain oscillations, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), indexed the allocation of attention to individual LEDs. Both behavioral performance and SSVEPs indicated enhanced processing of attended LED pairs during "across-hemifield" relative to "within-hemifield" conditions. Moreover, SSVEPs demonstrated effective filtering of intermediate stimuli in "across-hemifield" condition only. Thus, despite identical physical distances between LEDs of attended pairs, the spatial profiles of gain effects differed profoundly between "across-hemifield" and "within-hemifield" conditions. These findings corroborate that early cortical visual processing stages rely on hemisphere-specific processing capacities and highlight their limiting role in the concurrent allocation of visual attention to multiple locations.

Is Neural Activity Detected by ERP-Based Brain-Computer Interfaces Task Specific?

PubMed

Wenzel, Markus A; Almeida, Inês; Blankertz, Benjamin

2016-01-01

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that are based on event-related potentials (ERPs) can estimate to which stimulus a user pays particular attention. In typical BCIs, the user silently counts the selected stimulus (which is repeatedly presented among other stimuli) in order to focus the attention. The stimulus of interest is then inferred from the electroencephalogram (EEG). Detecting attention allocation implicitly could be also beneficial for human-computer interaction (HCI), because it would allow software to adapt to the user's interest. However, a counting task would be inappropriate for the envisaged implicit application in HCI. Therefore, the question was addressed if the detectable neural activity is specific for silent counting, or if it can be evoked also by other tasks that direct the attention to certain stimuli. Thirteen people performed a silent counting, an arithmetic and a memory task. The tasks required the subjects to pay particular attention to target stimuli of a random color. The stimulus presentation was the same in all three tasks, which allowed a direct comparison of the experimental conditions. Classifiers that were trained to detect the targets in one task, according to patterns present in the EEG signal, could detect targets in all other tasks (irrespective of some task-related differences in the EEG). The neural activity detected by the classifiers is not strictly task specific but can be generalized over tasks and is presumably a result of the attention allocation or of the augmented workload. The results may hold promise for the transfer of classification algorithms from BCI research to implicit relevance detection in HCI.

Cognitive functions of the posterior parietal cortex: top-down and bottom-up attentional control

PubMed Central

Shomstein, Sarah

2012-01-01

Although much less is known about human parietal cortex than that of homologous monkey cortex, recent studies, employing neuroimaging, and neuropsychological methods, have begun to elucidate increasingly fine-grained functional and structural distinctions. This review is focused on recent neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies elucidating the cognitive roles of dorsal and ventral regions of parietal cortex in top-down and bottom-up attentional orienting, and on the interaction between the two attentional allocation mechanisms. Evidence is reviewed arguing that regions along the dorsal areas of the parietal cortex, including the superior parietal lobule (SPL) are involved in top-down attentional orienting, while ventral regions including the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) are involved in bottom-up attentional orienting. PMID:22783174

Attention Modulates Spatio-temporal Grouping

PubMed Central

Aydın, Murat; Herzog, Michael H.; Öğmen, Haluk

2011-01-01

Dynamic stimuli are ubiquitous in natural viewing conditions implying that grouping operations need to operate, not only in space, but also jointly in space and time. Moreover, in natural viewing, attention plays an important role in controlling how resources are allocated. We investigated how attention interacts with spatiotemporal perceptual grouping by using a bistable stimulus, called the Ternus-Pikler display. Ternus-Pikler displays can give rise to two different motion percepts, called Element Motion (EM) and Group Motion (GM), the former dominating at short Inter-Stimulus Intervals (ISIs) and the latter at long ISIs. Our results indicate that GM grouping requires more attentional resources than EM grouping. Different theoretical accounts of perceptual grouping and attention are discussed and evaluated in the light of the current results. PMID:21266181

Simulating Visual Attention Allocation of Pilots in an Advanced Cockpit Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frische, F.; Osterloh, J.-P.; Luedtke, A.

2011-01-01

This paper describes the results of experiments conducted with human line pilots and a cognitive pilot model during interaction with a new 40 Flight Management System (FMS). The aim of these experiments was to gather human pilot behavior data in order to calibrate the behavior of the model. Human behavior is mainly triggered by visual perception. Thus, the main aspect was to setup a profile of human pilots' visual attention allocation in a cockpit environment containing the new FMS. We first performed statistical analyses of eye tracker data and then compared our results to common results of familiar analyses in standard cockpit environments. The comparison has shown a significant influence of the new system on the visual performance of human pilots. Further on, analyses of the pilot models' visual performance have been performed. A comparison to human pilots' visual performance revealed important improvement potentials.

Flexible attention allocation to visual and auditory working memory tasks: manipulating reward induces a trade-off.

PubMed

Morey, Candice Coker; Cowan, Nelson; Morey, Richard D; Rouder, Jeffery N

2011-02-01

Prominent roles for general attention resources are posited in many models of working memory, but the manner in which these can be allocated differs between models or is not sufficiently specified. We varied the payoffs for correct responses in two temporally-overlapping recognition tasks, a visual array comparison task and a tone sequence comparison task. In the critical conditions, an increase in reward for one task corresponded to a decrease in reward for the concurrent task, but memory load remained constant. Our results show patterns of interference consistent with a trade-off between the tasks, suggesting that a shared resource can be flexibly divided, rather than only fully allotted to either of the tasks. Our findings support a role for a domain-general resource in models of working memory, and furthermore suggest that this resource is flexibly divisible.

Human-computer interaction for alert warning and attention allocation systems of the multimodal watchstation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obermayer, Richard W.; Nugent, William A.

2000-11-01

The SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego is currently developing an advanced Multi-Modal Watchstation (MMWS); design concepts and software from this effort are intended for transition to future United States Navy surface combatants. The MMWS features multiple flat panel displays and several modes of user interaction, including voice input and output, natural language recognition, 3D audio, stylus and gestural inputs. In 1999, an extensive literature review was conducted on basic and applied research concerned with alerting and warning systems. After summarizing that literature, a human computer interaction (HCI) designer's guide was prepared to support the design of an attention allocation subsystem (AAS) for the MMWS. The resultant HCI guidelines are being applied in the design of a fully interactive AAS prototype. An overview of key findings from the literature review, a proposed design methodology with illustrative examples, and an assessment of progress made in implementing the HCI designers guide are presented.

Pupil size signals mental effort deployed during multiple object tracking and predicts brain activity in the dorsal attention network and the locus coeruleus.

PubMed

Alnæs, Dag; Sneve, Markus Handal; Espeseth, Thomas; Endestad, Tor; van de Pavert, Steven Harry Pieter; Laeng, Bruno

2014-04-01

Attentional effort relates to the allocation of limited-capacity attentional resources to meet current task demands and involves the activation of top-down attentional systems in the brain. Pupillometry is a sensitive measure of this intensity aspect of top-down attentional control. Studies relate pupillary changes in response to cognitive processing to activity in the locus coeruleus (LC), which is the main hub of the brain's noradrenergic system and it is thought to modulate the operations of the brain's attentional systems. In the present study, participants performed a visual divided attention task known as multiple object tracking (MOT) while their pupil sizes were recorded by use of an infrared eye tracker and then were tested again with the same paradigm while brain activity was recorded using fMRI. We hypothesized that the individual pupil dilations, as an index of individual differences in mental effort, as originally proposed by Kahneman (1973), would be a better predictor of LC activity than the number of tracked objects during MOT. The current results support our hypothesis, since we observed pupil-related activity in the LC. Moreover, the changes in the pupil correlated with activity in the superior colliculus and the right thalamus, as well as cortical activity in the dorsal attention network, which previous studies have shown to be strongly activated during visual tracking of multiple targets. Follow-up pupillometric analyses of the MOT task in the same individuals also revealed that individual differences to cognitive load can be remarkably stable over a lag of several years. To our knowledge this is the first study using pupil dilations as an index of attentional effort in the MOT task and also relating these to functional changes in the brain that directly implicate the LC-NE system in the allocation of processing resources.

Integrating cognitive bias modification into a standard cognitive behavioural treatment package for social phobia: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Rapee, Ronald M; MacLeod, Colin; Carpenter, Leigh; Gaston, Jonathan E; Frei, Jacqueline; Peters, Lorna; Baillie, Andrew J

2013-05-01

The aim of the current study was to integrate recent developments in the retraining of attentional biases towards threat into a standard cognitive behavioural treatment package for social phobia. 134 participants (M age-32.4: 53% female) meeting DSM-IV criteria for social phobia received a 12-week cognitive behavioural treatment program. They were randomly allocated to receive on a daily basis using home practice, either an additional computerised probe procedure designed to train attentional resource allocation away from threat, or a placebo variant of this procedure. Measures included diagnostic severity, social anxiety symptoms, life interference, and depression as well as state anxiety in response to a laboratory social threat. At the end of treatment there were no significant differences between groups in attentional bias towards threat or in treatment response (all p's>0.05). Both groups showed similar and highly significant reductions in diagnostic severity, social anxiety symptoms, depression symptoms, and life interference at post-treatment that was maintained and in most cases increased at 6 month follow-up (uncontrolled effect sizes ranged from d=0.34 to d=1.90). The current results do not indicate that integration of information processing-derived attentional bias modification procedures into standard treatment packages as conducted in this study augments attentional change or enhances treatment efficacy. Further refinement of bias modification techniques, and better methods of integrating them with conventional approaches, may be needed to produce better effects. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Specific cognitive-neurophysiological processes predict impulsivity in the childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder combined subtype.

PubMed

Bluschke, A; Roessner, V; Beste, C

2016-04-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most prevalent neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood. Besides inattention and hyperactivity, impulsivity is the third core symptom leading to diverse and serious problems. However, the neuronal mechanisms underlying impulsivity in ADHD are still not fully understood. This is all the more the case when patients with the ADHD combined subtype (ADHD-C) are considered who are characterized by both symptoms of inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity. Combining high-density electroencephalography (EEG) recordings with source localization analyses, we examined what information processing stages are dysfunctional in ADHD-C (n = 20) compared with controls (n = 18). Patients with ADHD-C made more impulsive errors in a Go/No-go task than healthy controls. Neurophysiologically, different subprocesses from perceptual gating to attentional selection, resource allocation and response selection processes are altered in this patient group. Perceptual gating, stimulus-driven attention selection and resource allocation processes were more pronounced in ADHD-C, are related to activation differences in parieto-occipital networks and suggest attentional filtering deficits. However, only response selection processes, associated with medial prefrontal networks, predicted impulsive errors in ADHD-C. Although the clinical picture of ADHD-C is complex and a multitude of processing steps are altered, only a subset of processes seems to directly modulate impulsive behaviour. The present findings improve the understanding of mechanisms underlying impulsivity in patients with ADHD-C and might help to refine treatment algorithms focusing on impulsivity.

Neuronal Response Gain Enhancement prior to Microsaccades.

PubMed

Chen, Chih-Yang; Ignashchenkova, Alla; Thier, Peter; Hafed, Ziad M

2015-08-17

Neuronal response gain enhancement is a classic signature of the allocation of covert visual attention without eye movements. However, microsaccades continuously occur during gaze fixation. Because these tiny eye movements are preceded by motor preparatory signals well before they are triggered, it may be the case that a corollary of such signals may cause enhancement, even without attentional cueing. In six different macaque monkeys and two different brain areas previously implicated in covert visual attention (superior colliculus and frontal eye fields), we show neuronal response gain enhancement for peripheral stimuli appearing immediately before microsaccades. This enhancement occurs both during simple fixation with behaviorally irrelevant peripheral stimuli and when the stimuli are relevant for the subsequent allocation of covert visual attention. Moreover, this enhancement occurs in both purely visual neurons and visual-motor neurons, and it is replaced by suppression for stimuli appearing immediately after microsaccades. Our results suggest that there may be an obligatory link between microsaccade occurrence and peripheral selective processing, even though microsaccades can be orders of magnitude smaller than the eccentricities of peripheral stimuli. Because microsaccades occur in a repetitive manner during fixation, and because these eye movements reset neurophysiological rhythms every time they occur, our results highlight a possible mechanism through which oculomotor events may aid periodic sampling of the visual environment for the benefit of perception, even when gaze is prevented from overtly shifting. One functional consequence of such periodic sampling could be the magnification of rhythmic fluctuations of peripheral covert visual attention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.