Investigating hemispheric lateralization of reflexive attention to gaze and arrow cues

Recent studies have demonstrated that central cues, such as eyes and arrows, reflexively trigger attentional shifts. However, it is not clear whether the attentional mechanisms induced by these two cues are similar or rather differ in some important way. We investigated hemispheric lateralization of the orienting effects induced by the two cue types in a group of 48 healthy participants comparing arrows and eye gaze as central non-predictive cues in a discrimination task, in which a target stimulus was briefly presented in one of two peripheral positions (left or right of fixation). As predicted by neuropsychological data, reflexive orienting to gaze cues was only observed when the target was presented in the left visual field, whereas reflexive orienting to arrow cues occurred for targets presented in both left and right visual fields.     

The role of spatial attention and other processes on the magnitude and time course of cueing effects

We are quite often exposed to multiple objects present in the visual scene, thus attentional selection is necessary in order to selectively respond to the relevant information. Objects can be selected on the basis of the location they occupy by orienting attention in space. In this paper, we review the evidence showing that attention can be oriented in space either endogenously, on the basis of central cues, predictive of the relevant location, or exogenously, automatically triggered by the salient properties of visual stimuli (peripheral cues). Several dissociations observed between orienting on the basis of the two types of cues have led to the conclusion that they do not represent just two modes of triggering the orienting of the very same attentional mechanism, but rather they modulate processing differently. We present a theoretical framework according to which endogenous predictive cues facilitate target processing by orienting attention, thus amplifying processing at the attended location. In contrast, apart from attentional orienting, peripherally presented discrepant cues might trigger additional cue-target event-integration and event-segregation processes, which modulate processing in a different way, thus leading to cueing effects that are exclusively triggered by peripheral cues.     

Voluntary and involuntary attention have different consequences: The effect of perceptual difficulty

We propose that voluntary and involuntary attention affect different mechanisms and have different consequences for performance measured in reaction time. Voluntary attention enhances the perceptual representation whereas involuntary attention affects the tendency to respond to stimuli in one location or another. In a spatial-cueing paradigm, we manipulated perceptual difficulty and compared voluntary and involuntary attention. For the voluntary-attention condition, the spatial cue was predictive of the target location, whereas in the involuntary-attention condition it was not. Increasing perceptual difficulty increased the attention effect with voluntary attention, but decreased it with involuntary attention. Thus voluntary and involuntary attention have different consequences when perceptual difficulty is manipulated and hence are probably caused by different mechanisms.     

Exogenous and endogenous spatial attention effects on visuospatial working memory

In this study, we investigate how exogenous and endogenous orienting of spatial attention affect visuospatial working memory (VSWM). Specifically, we focused on two attentional effects and their consequences on storage in VSWM, when exogenous (Experiment 1) or endogenous (Experiment 2) orienting cues were used. The first effect, known as the meridian effect, is given by a decrement in behavioural performance when spatial cues and targets are presented in locations separated by vertical and/or horizontal meridians. The second effect, known as the distance effect, is given by a decrement in the orienting effects as a function of the spatial distance between cues and targets. Our results revealed a dissociation between exogenous and endogenous orienting mechanisms in terms of both meridian and distance effects. We found that meridian crossing affects performance only when endogenous cues were used. Specifically, VSWM performance with endogenous cueing depended more on the number of meridian crossings than on distance between cue and target. By contrast, a U-shaped distance dependency was observed using exogenous cues. Our findings therefore suggest that exogenous and endogenous orienting mechanisms lead to different forms of attentional bias for storage in VSWM.     

视空间注意线索效应的研究评述

文章回顾视空间注意理论及其线索效应研究的发展,总结了视空间注意的理论及现有的研究存在的问题:实验设计的任务过于单一化,大多研究集中于视觉搜索任务中的线索效应;研究多集中在二维空间中的研究,缺乏关于在三维立体空间中的研究。展望了其未来的研究方向。     

Modulation of spatial Stroop by object-based attention but not by space-based attention

Earlier studies have shown that the spatial Stroop effect systematically decreases when a peripheral precue is presented at the same location as the target, compared to an uncued location condition. In this study, two experiments were conducted to explore whether the cueing modulation of spatial Stroop is object based and/or space based. In Experiment 1, we found evidence favouring the view that the cueing modulation of the spatial Stroop effect is entirely object based, as no differences were found in conflict reduction for the same-location and same-object conditions. In Experiment 2, the cue was predictive, and a similar object-based modulation of spatial Stroop was still observed. However, the direction of such modulation was affected by the rectangles' orientation. Overall, the pattern of results obtained favours the object-integration (Lupiáñez & Milliken, 1999; Lupiáñez, Milliken, Solano, Weaver, & Tipper, 2001) and referential-coding accounts (Danziger, Kingstone, & Ward, 2001) and seems to provide evidence against the attention-shift account (Rubichi, Nicoletti, Iani, & Umilta, 1997; Stoffer, 1991).     

眼睛注视是独特的吗?——来自发展的证据

采用改编的Posner视空间线索化任务,考查6~9岁儿童对眼睛注视、手指指向、箭头指向和代向汉字4种中央线索的注意定向。结果发现,6岁儿童已经能对眼睛注视线索进行注意定向,并随着年龄增长而改善。7岁组和8岁组儿童注意定向的成绩显著改善,7岁可能是儿童对中央线索注意定向发展的特定阶段。而对手指指向和箭头的注意定向,只有8岁和9岁儿童表现出来。对代向汉字线索的注意定向,8岁时开始出现,9岁时表现出显著的提高。结果提示,眼睛注视线索可能是一种独特的视觉线索,有别于其他中央线索引发的注意定向的发展。     

线索提示对表征动量的影响

研究结合线索提示和表征动量范式,实验1、2均采用2有无线索(有线索,无线索)×4诱导期间时距(1250ms,1750ms,2250ms,2750ms)混合实验设计,探讨线索呈现的加工阶段和时距对表征动量的影响。实验1恒定保持间隔时距,在不同时距的诱导期间呈现线索,发现线索主效应不显著,但表征动量呈减小趋势;时距主效应不显著。实验2变化诱导时距,在恒定的保持间隔呈现线索,发生向后偏移现象,线索主效应显著;时距主效应不显著。研究结果表明,随着注意的增加,表征动量效应减小;注意时距不显著影响表征动量,而注意阶段显著影响表征动量。研究结果为表征动量的双加工理论提供了实证支持。     

Attention modulates saccadic inhibition magnitude

Visual transient events during ongoing eye movement tasks inhibit saccades within a precise temporal window, spanning from around 60–120 ms after the event, having maximum effect at around 90 ms. It is not yet clear to what extent this saccadic inhibition phenomenon can be modulated by attention. We studied the saccadic inhibition induced by a bright flash above or below fixation, during the preparation of a saccade to a lateralized target, under two attentional manipulations. Experiment 1 demonstrated that exogenous precueing of a distractor's location reduced saccadic inhibition, consistent with inhibition of return. Experiment 2 manipulated the relative likelihood that a distractor would be presented above or below fixation. Saccadic inhibition magnitude was relatively reduced for distractors at the more likely location, implying that observers can endogenously suppress interference from specific locations within an oculomotor map. We discuss the implications of these results for models of saccade target selection in the superior colliculus.     

线索呈现的时空特性对表征动量的影响

为揭示注意对表征动量的影响机制,我们结合线索提示和表征动量范式,通过两个实验比较高、低相关线索分别在诱导期间与保持间隔呈现对表征动量的影响,结果发现：(1)高相关线索的时间特性主效应不显著,最终位置均发生边缘性的向前偏移。(2)低相关线索呈现在诱导期间时,表征动量显著;呈现在保持间隔时,发生向后偏移。这些表明,随着注意增大,表征动量减小;高相关线索更有利于定位,而低相关线索易受时间特性的影响。研究结果验证表征动量的双加工理论。     

多目标追踪中“线索”研究的贡献

多目标追踪范式是探讨动态情景下注意加工过程的成熟技术,其对不同阶段注意线索加工与利用的分析,对深入了解注意的动态信息加工过程具有重要意义。从注意线索的视角述评呈现阶段的内源性线索与外源性线索以及追踪阶段的目标数量动态变化和轨迹线索的研究成果及限制因素,提出多目标线索研究是客体档案理论与视觉索引理论之争的关键。虽然多目标追踪范式为内源性线索、外源性线索的提取与策略等研究提供很多便利,但目前该范式在线索的认知资源分配和加工策略上仍有研究留白,尚需进一步探索。     

Low-level visual attention and its relation to joint attention in autism spectrum disorder

Visual attention is integral to social interaction and is a critical building block for development in other domains (e.g., language). Furthermore, atypical attention (especially joint attention) is one of the earliest markers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study assesses low-level visual attention and its relation to social attentional processing in youth with ASD and typically developing (TD) youth, aged 7 to 18 years. The findings indicate difficulty overriding incorrect attentional cues in ASD, particularly with non-social (arrow) cues relative to social (face) cues. The findings also show reduced competition in ASD from cues that remain on-screen. Furthermore, social attention, autism severity, and age were all predictors of competing cue processing. The results suggest that individuals with ASD may be biased towards speeded rather than accurate responding, and further, that reduced engagement with visual information may impede responses to visual attentional cues. Once attention is engaged, individuals with ASD appear to interpret directional cues as meaningful. These findings from a controlled, experimental paradigm were mirrored in results from an ecologically valid measure of social attention. Attentional difficulties may be exacerbated during the complex and dynamic experience of actual social interaction. Implications for intervention are discussed.     

成人去激活依恋策略和注意偏向：来自表情图片外源性提示点探测任务的证据

采用表情图片作为外源性提示的点探测任务,通过109名大学生探讨依恋倾向性和注意之间的关系。研究发现：依恋回避维度和三种面部表情的提示有效性指标呈现显著负相关;依恋回避高分组出现了提示有效性效应的消失和逆转;依恋焦虑维度和提示有效性、注意卷入和注意分离没有相关。结果表明：回避性依恋者对任何信息都存在回避性注意偏向;回避性注意偏向的强度随信息依恋效价的增强而增强;回避性注意偏向的出现为去激活策略的存在提供了跨文化证据。     

On the source and scope of priming effects of masked stimuli on endogenous shifts of spatial attention

Unconscious stimuli can influence participants’ motor behavior as well as more complex mental processes. Previous cue-priming experiments demonstrated that masked cues can modulate endogenous shifts of spatial attention as measured by choice reaction time tasks. Here, we applied a signal detection task with masked luminance targets to determine the source and the scope of effects of masked stimuli. Target-detection performance was modulated by prime-cue congruency, indicating that prime-cue congruency modulates signal enhancement at early levels of target processing. These effects, however, were only found when the prime was perceptually similar to the cue indicting that primes influence early target processing in an indirect way by facilitating cue processing. Together with previous research we conclude that masked stimuli can modulate perceptual and post-central levels of processing. Findings mark a new limit of the effects of unconscious stimuli which seem to have a smaller scope than conscious stimuli.     

Object-centered representations support flexible exogenous visual attention across translation and reflection

Visual attention can be deployed to stimuli based on our willful, top-down goal (endogenous attention) or on their intrinsic saliency against the background (exogenous attention). Flexibility is thought to be a hallmark of endogenous attention, whereas decades of research show that exogenous attention is attracted to the retinotopic locations of the salient stimuli. However, to the extent that salient stimuli in the natural environment usually form specific spatial relations with the surrounding context and are dynamic, exogenous attention, to be adaptive, should embrace these structural regularities. Here we test a non-retinotopic, object-centered mechanism in exogenous attention, in which exogenous attention is dynamically attracted to a relative, object-centered location. Using a moving frame configuration, we presented two frames in succession, forming either apparent translational motion or in mirror reflection, with a completely uninformative, transient cue presented at one of the item locations in the first frame. Despite that the cue is presented in a spatially separate frame, in both translation and mirror reflection, behavioralperformance in visual search is enhanced when the target in the second frame appears at the same relative location as the cue location than at other locations. These results provide unambiguous evidence for non-retinotopic exogenous attention and further reveal an object-centered mechanism supporting flexible exogenous attention. Moreover, attentional generalization across mirror reflection may constitute an attentional correlate of perceptual generalization across lateral mirror images, supporting an adaptive, functional account of mirror images confusion.