Objects but not concepts modulate the size of the attended region

Here we investigated the types of stimuli that modulate the size of the attentional spotlight. In particular, it has been previously shown that conceptual cues that either directly refer to or are semantically related to particular spatial locations can shift attention to that location (known as “conceptual cueing”). For example, reading the word sun or joy can shift attention upward whereas the word boot or hostile can shift attention downward. Here, therefore, we tested whether words could modulate the size of the attended area. Across five experiments, we found that words that either directly referred to, or were abstractly associated with, particular sizes (small versus large) did not change the size of the attentional spotlight, whereas the presence of differently sized stimuli did, as evidenced by faster responses to targets when the spotlight is small than when it is large. This suggests that physical but not conceptual inducers can modulate the size of the attentional spotlight. This highlights an important difference between the regulation of spotlight size and shifts of attention, supporting the notion that they are subserved by distinct mechanisms.     

Subliminal spatial cues capture attention and strengthen between-object link

According to the spreading hypothesis of object-based attention, a subliminal cue that can successfully capture attention to a location within an object should also cause attention to spread throughout the whole cued object and lead to the same-object advantage. Instead, we propose that a subliminal cue favors shifts of attention between objects and strengthens the between-object link, which is coded primarily within the dorsal pathway that governs the visual guidance of action. By adopting the two-rectangle method and using an effective subliminal cue to compare with the classic suprathreshold cue, we found a different result pattern with suprathreshold cues than with subliminal cues. The suprathreshold cue replicated the conventional location and object effects, whereas a subliminal cue led to a different-object advantage with a facilitatory location effect and a same-object advantage with an inhibitory location effect. These results support our consciousness-dependent shifting hypothesis but not the spreading hypothesis.     

高特质愤怒个体对负性情绪面孔注意偏向的实验研究

摘 要：目的 探讨高特质愤怒个体是否对负性情绪面孔有注意偏向。方法 采用点探测任务,比较高低特质愤怒个体（高特质愤怒组23人,低特质愤怒组23人）对不同性质情绪面孔同异侧探测符号反应时的差异。结果 重复测量方差分析发现存在面孔性质边缘主效应（F=2.462,p=.073）及组别与面孔性质的交互效应,探测位置主效应（F=5.089,p=.029）及组别与探测位置的交互效应,组别、面孔性质与探测位置的交互效应。进一步分析发现,高特质愤怒组对愤怒面孔同侧探测刺激反应时显著快于异侧反应时[（386.12±50.09）ms VS.(403.33±59.39)ms,F=17.050,p=.000],快乐面孔同侧探测刺激反应时显著慢于异侧反应时[（396.88±53.87）ms VS.(38.78±41.06)ms,F=18.200,p=.000）],低特质愤怒组被试不同性质面孔同异侧反应时无显著差异。结论 高特质愤怒个体对与愤怒相关刺激存在注意偏向。     

Effects of implicit power motive on the processing of anger faces: An event-related potential study

Implicit motives are one form of motivation that regulates cognitive and emotional processing. In this study, we investigated the impact of implicit power motive (nPower) on the processing of anger faces. Event-related potentials were recorded while high- and low-nPower individuals performed a face version of an emotion Stroop task comprised of anger and neutral faces. It was found that nPower does not modify early perceptual and attentional components (P2 and N2), but a later component is affected. Indeed, power-motivated participants showed enhanced P3/LPPs (Late positive potentials) amplitude compared to low-nPower subjects, in response to anger stimuli. These findings demonstrate that anger faces have greater salience for high-nPower individuals and are subject to a more salient, conscious processing.     

Body orientation and face orientation: two factors controlling apes’ begging behavior from humans

A number of animal species have evolved the cognitive ability to detect when they are being watched by other individuals. Precisely what kind of information they use to make this determination is unknown. There is particular controversy in the case of the great apes because different studies report conflicting results. In experiment 1, we presented chimpanzees, orangutans, and bonobos with a situation in which they had to request food from a human observer who was in one of various attentional states. She either stared at the ape, faced the ape with her eyes closed, sat with her back towards the ape, or left the room. In experiment 2, we systematically crossed the observers body and face orientation so that the observer could have her body and/or face oriented either towards or away from the subject. Results indicated that apes produced more behaviors when they were being watched. They did this not only on the basis of whether they could see the experimenter as a whole, but they were sensitive to her body and face orientation separately. These results suggest that body and face orientation encode two different types of information. Whereas face orientation encodes the observers perceptual access, body orientation encodes the observers disposition to transfer food. In contrast to the results on body and face orientation, only two of the tested subjects responded to the state of the observers eyes.     

Whose DAM account? Attentional learning explains Booth and Waxman

Booth and Waxman (Cognition 84 (2002) B11) have recently shown that linguistic cues to animacy affect children's novel name extensions. They argue that this demonstration contradicts two central tenets of our attentional learning account of object naming, which Booth and Waxman characterize as the "dumb attentional mechanism" or "DAM" account. In the present article, we show that the first of these tenets has never been a feature of the attentional learning account, and that the second tenet, which is central to our account, is not addressed by Booth and Waxman's findings. We suggest that the debate about the nature of children's language and cognition would profit from an increased awareness of the different levels of analysis at which different researchers are working.     

Subjective visibility report is facilitated by conscious predictions only

Predictions in the visual domain have been shown to modulate conscious access. Yet, little is known about how predictions may do so and to what extent they need to be consciously implemented to be effective. To address this, we administered an attentional blink (AB) task in which target 1 (T1) identity predicted target 2 (T2) identity, while participants rated their perceptual awareness of validly versus invalidly predicted T2s (Experiment 1 & 2) or reported T2 identity (Experiment 3). Critically, we tested the effects of conscious and non-conscious predictions, after seen and unseen T1s, on T2 visibility. We found that valid predictions increased subjective visibility reports and discrimination of T2s, but only when predictions were generated by a consciously accessed T1, irrespective of the timing at which the effects were measured (short vs. longs lags). These results further our understanding of the intricate relationship between predictive processing and consciousness.     

Effects of chronic exercise on attentional bias among individuals with methamphetamine use disorder

BackgroundIndividuals with substance use disorder show attentional bias toward drug-related cues, which may be associated with attentional control deficits. Although exercise improves attention in healthy people, whether individuals with substance use disorder also benefit is unknown. We explored the effects of chronic exercise on behavioral and neural correlates of attentional bias in men with methamphetamine use disorder.MethodsSixty-one such men were randomized to high- or moderate-intensity exercise or to a control group with little exercise for 12 weeks. The dot-probe task assessed attentional bias before and after exercise intervention, with event-related potentials recorded during the task to determine underlying neural mechanisms.ResultsAttentional bias scores and event-related potential amplitudes significantly decreased after high- or moderate-intensity chronic exercise, but not in controls.ConclusionsChronic exercise reduces attentional bias in individuals with methamphetamine use disorder by enhancing early identification of drug-related stimuli and diverting attention to reduce conflict processing.     

状态焦虑与转换功能：注意控制理论在运动员群体中适用性的检验

通过3个平行实验探讨了状态焦虑对转换功能的影响,检验了注意控制理论在运动领域的适用性。3个实验采用不同范式的More-Odd shifting任务测量转换功能,其结果呈现一致的趋势：在大学生群体中,高状态焦虑降低了加工效能,而对正确率影响不大;而在运动员群体中,高状态焦虑对加工效能和正确率都影响不大。本研究得出结论：注意控制理论关于状态焦虑影响转换功能的假设可能在不同群体中有不同的适用性,适用于大学生,但不适用于运动员。     

儿童中期计划能力和注意能力的关系：一项交叉滞后研究

本研究追踪了139名儿童在7岁、8岁和9岁时在计划和注意任务上的表现,通过交叉滞后分析考察了此期间计划能力与注意能力不同成分（持续性注意,抑制控制和选择性注意）在发展上的关系。结果发现抑制控制和选择性注意与计划能力在7岁-8岁期间存在着正向的双向作用关系,而7岁时的持续性注意和抑制控制正向预测8岁时的计划能力,7岁时的计划能力正向预测8岁时的选择性注意。这些结果表明计划能力和注意能力的不同成分之间存在着发展上的双向作用关系。