The effect of repetitive saccade execution on the attention network test: Enhancing executive function with a flick of the eyes

The simple act of repeatedly looking left and right can enhance subsequent cognition, including divergent thinking, detection of matching letters from visual arrays, and memory retrieval. One hypothesis is that saccade execution enhances subsequent cognition by altering attentional control. To test this hypothesis, we compared performance following repetitive bilateral saccades or central fixation on the revised attention network test, which measures the operation of three distinct attentional networks: alerting, orienting, and executive function. The primary finding was that saccade execution increased the subsequent operation of the executive function network, which encompasses attentional control. Specifically, saccade execution decreased response time to target stimuli in the presence of response-incongruent flankers. A secondary finding was that saccade execution decreased response time to targets when an invalid location was cued prior to target onset. These findings suggest that saccades are an effective means of improving attentional control. Of greater theoretical importance, the study establishes attentional enhancement as a potential mechanism by which saccades enhance other aspects of cognition. Although some saccade execution effects have been found to depend on consistency of handedness (i.e., the consistency with which an individual uses one hand over the other), saccade-induced enhancement of attentional control occurred independently of handedness consistency.     

The watching eyes phenomenon: The role of a sense of being seen and public self‐awareness

In recent years, a growing number of researchers have examined the watching eyes phenomenon (i.e., increased prosocial and decreased antisocial behavior when subtle watching eyes are present in the environment). Somewhat surprisingly, the questions of how and under what conditions subtle cues of being watched operate have been unanswered so far. The present contribution addresses this research gap. In two studies, we document that (a) subtle cues of being watched induce a sense of being seen and (b) chronic public self‐awareness moderates the watching eyes phenomenon in that specifically individuals with strong chronic public self‐awareness show more prosocial behavior under conditions of watching eyes. The applicability of subtle cues of being watched in research on social presence is discussed.     

不同认知负荷汉字输入的眼动研究

采用Tobii1750眼动仪记录不同汉字输入法输入句子材料、单字材料、词组材料时眼动的注视次数、平均注视时间及瞳孔直径的变化,结果发现随认知负荷的加大,注视次数、平均注视时间没有显著变化,瞳孔直径则随认知负荷的增加而缩小.     

中文阅读中预视阶段和注视阶段内词汇视觉编码的过程特点:来自消失文本的证据

研究采用消失文本范式考察中文阅读中双字词汇视觉信息编码的过程特点。实验一操控词n+1上字词消失方式及其延迟时间,结果发现,注视词n时,词n+1上不同位置的汉字及时消失(延迟时间为0 ms)都影响总阅读时间,且影响程度与消失汉字的具体位置与消失汉字的数量有关;延迟时间为60 ms时,词n+1上的左侧字消失不再影响总阅读时间,而词n+1上的右侧字消失仍会影响总阅读时间。实验二操控词n上字词消失方式及其延迟时间,结果发现,注视词n时,词n上不同位置的汉字及时消失对总阅读时间的影响程度完全一致,说明词n上汉字视觉编码不受消失汉字的具体位置与消失汉字的数量的调节;延迟时间为60 ms时,各消失条件都不影响总阅读时间,说明词n上不同汉字的视觉编码同时完成。基于两项实验结果可得出,在预视阶段内中文读者以汉字单元编码内双字词汇的视觉信息,在注视阶段内以整词为单元编码双字词汇的视觉信息。     

消失文本条件下词的预测性效应的眼动研究

通过考察消失文本条件下的词的预测性效应,探讨影响中文阅读眼动模式的控制因素,为中文阅读的眼动控制理论提供实证证据。以28名大学生为被试,在被试阅读实验句的同时记录其眼动轨迹。被注视的词的呈现时间设为80ms,在这种特殊的实验情境下,考察中文阅读眼动模式的影响因素。以词的预测性为自变量,以被试对目标词的首次注视时间、凝视时间和总注视时间为因变量。结果发现,在消失文本条件下,出现了显著的预测性效应。结果支持眼动的认知控制模型。     

内隐序列学习不受注意负荷的影响:来自眼动的证据

利用眼动记录方法,采用内隐序列学习的观察范式,通过操纵注意负荷高和低,考察内隐序列学习是否需要注意参与。结果发现:(1)在高、低注意负荷条件下都出现了内隐序列学习效应;(2)高注意负荷条件下眼跳反应时长于低注意负荷条件下的;(3)高、低注意负荷序列内隐序列学习量差异不显著,表明内隐序列学习不受注意负荷影响。     

位置和内容对网页广告效果影响的眼动评估

使用TobiiT120型眼动仪,以16名大学生为被试,记录他们阅读嵌有网页广告新闻网页时的眼动注视过程,以探讨广告呈现位置、新闻内容与网页广告的相关性是否影响人们对网页广告的注视。实验采用3（广告位置：上方、中间、下方）×2（相关性：相关、不相关）两因素被试内设计。结果发现：（1）新闻内容和网页广告的相关性不影响人们对网页广告的加工;（2）对位于新闻上方和新闻中间的网页广告,被试的注视次数较多,且注视时间较长;（3）对位于新闻中间的网页广告,其再认效果优于位于新闻上方和新闻下方的广告。表明只有网页广告呈现位置这一因素影响被试对网页广告的注视。     

道路交通标志中对称结构效应的眼动研究

本研究考察了道路交通标志中路名信息对称结构效应的眼动模式。实验采用眼动跟踪技术和视觉搜索范式,共有16名被试参加。实验结果表明：（1）在对称结构路名信息的视觉搜索中,被试的反应正确率明显优于非对称结构条件下的正确率;（2）对称结构条件下,被试的注视点和回扫次数明显较少,凝视时间明显较短;（3）在以道路交通标志为视觉搜索材料时,搜索区有无路名目标对视觉搜索绩效没有影响。可以认为：在道路交通标志中存在对称结构效应;眼动模式的差异是引起对称结构效应的认知机制。     

Anxiety, a benefit and detriment to cognition: behavioral and magnetoencephalographic evidence from a mixed-saccade task

Anxiety is typically considered an impediment to cognition. We propose anxiety-related impairments in cognitive-behavioral performance are the consequences of enhanced stimulus-driven attention. Accordingly, reflexive, habitual behaviors that rely on stimulus-driven mechanisms should be facilitated in an anxious state, while novel, flexible behaviors that compete with the former should be impaired. To test these predictions, healthy adults (N=17) performed a mixed-saccade task, which pits habitual actions (pro-saccades) against atypical ones (anti-saccades), under anxiety-inducing threat of shock and safe conditions. Whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) captured oscillatory responses in the preparatory interval preceding target onset and saccade execution. Results showed threat-induced anxiety differentially impacted response times based on the type of saccade initiated, slowing anti-saccades but facilitating erroneous pro-saccades on anti-saccade trials. MEG source analyses revealed that successful suppression of reflexive pro-saccades and correct initiation of anti-saccades during threat was marked by increased theta power in right ventrolateral prefrontal cortical and midbrain regions (superior colliculi) implicated in stimulus-driven attention. Theta activity may delay stimulus-driven processes to enable generation of an anti-saccade. Moreover, compared to safety, threat reduced beta desynchronization in inferior parietal cortices during anti-saccade preparation but increased it during pro-saccade preparation. Differential effects in inferior parietal cortices indicate a greater readiness to execute anti-saccades during safety and to execute pro-saccades during threat. These findings suggest that, in an anxiety state, reduced cognitive-behavioral flexibility may stem from enhanced stimulus-driven attention, which may serve the adaptive function of optimizing threat detection.     

Effects of saccadic bilateral eye movements on memory in children and adults: an exploratory study

The effects of saccadic bilateral (horizontal) eye movements on true and false memory in adults and children were investigated. Both adults and children encoded lists of associated words in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm followed by a test of recognition memory. Just prior to retrieval, participants were asked to engage in 30s of bilateral vs. vertical vs. no eye movements. For studied information, the results for adults replicated previous work; bilateral eye movements were demonstrated to increase the accuracy of memory by increasing the hit rate and reducing the false alarm rate for related and unrelated recognition test lures. The results for children also indicated an improvement in memory accuracy, and like adults, was due to both an increase in the hit rate and a reduction in the false alarm rate. In spite of these similarities, the effects of bilateral eye movements differed between adults and children for critical unstudied words; i.e., those associated with the theme of the list. Only in adults did, bilateral eye movements reduce associative false memories; children did not show a reduction in false memory for critical associates. This produced a dissociation between the effects of eye movements on associative false memory as a function of age. The results are discussed from a developmental perspective in terms of potential mechanisms underlying true and false memory.