Sex Differences in Competition-Based Attentional Selection

2012 ◽  
Vol 220 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-97 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Sänger ◽  
Daniel Schneider ◽  
Christian Beste ◽  
Edmund Wascher
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Information Integration ◽  
Temporal Relationship ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Study Participants ◽  
Spatial Locations ◽  
Close Temporal Relationship

Recent studies on attentional selection demonstrate that women are more influenced by irrelevant spatial cues or distracters than men. Two possible sources can be assumed to determine this alteration in information processing. Women might suffer from deficient top-down control, which makes attentional filters less efficient. On the other hand, higher integration of information presented in close temporal relationship might mimic a deficit in spatial cueing tasks. The latter should be restricted to conditions in which contradicting information is processed. In the present study, participants had to detect changes in luminance and to ignore orientation changes of stimuli that were presented in the fast succession of two visual frames. Women committed more errors when luminance and orientation changes were presented simultaneously at distinct spatial locations (perceptual conflict) compared to men. In no other condition a difference in performance between women and men was observed. Also sensory components of the electroencephalogram showed no sex differences at all. Only posterior components related to intentional allocation of attention in conflict trials appear to be altered in women compared to men. An enhanced N2pc was evoked in women when the perceptual conflict was high. The data provide evidence that neither very early sensory processing nor the top-down control in general is deficient in women. Enhanced distractibility rather arises from a stronger integration of information, which might be due to enhanced interhemispheric information integration in women compared to men.

An EEG study of the combined effects of top-down and bottom-up attentional selection under varying task difficulty

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Einat Rashal ◽  
Mehdi Senoussi ◽  
Elisa Santandrea ◽  
Suliann Ben Hamed ◽  
Emiliano Macaluso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Target Selection ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Search Tasks

This work reports an investigation of the effect of combined top-down and bottom-up attentional control sources, using known attention-related EEG components that are thought to reflect target selection (N2pc) and distractor suppression (PD), in easy and difficult visual search tasks.

scholarly journals Capture by Context Elements, Not Attentional Suppression of Distractors, Explains the PD with Small Search Displays

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1170-1183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Kerzel ◽  
Nicolas Burra
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Capture ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Voltage Difference ◽  
Context Element ◽  
Selection Of

Top–down control of attention allows us to resist attentional capture by salient stimuli that are irrelevant to our current goals. Recently, it was proposed that attentional suppression of salient distractors contributes to top–down control by biasing attention away from the distractor. With small search displays, attentional suppression of salient distractors may even result in reduced RTs on distractor-present trials. In support of attentional suppression, electrophysiological measures revealed a positivity between 200 and 300 msec contralateral to the distractor, which has been referred to as distractor positivity (PD). We reexamined distractor benefits with small search displays and found that the positivity to the distractor was followed by a negativity to the distractor. The negativity, referred to as N2pc, is considered an index of attentional selection of the contralateral element. Thus, attentional suppression of the distractor (PD) preceded attentional capture (N2pc) by the distractor, which is at odds with the idea that attentional suppression avoids attentional capture by the distractor. Instead, we suggest that the initial “PD” is not a positivity to the distractor but rather a negativity (N2pc) to the contralateral context element, suggesting that, initially, the context captured attention. Subsequently, the distractor was selected because, paradoxically, participants searched all lateral target positions (even when irrelevant) before they examined the vertical positions. Consistent with this idea, search times were shorter for lateral than vertical targets. In summary, the early voltage difference in small search displays is unrelated to distractor suppression but may reflect capture by the context.

scholarly journals Malignancies in Italian Patients with Systemic Sclerosis Positive for Anti-RNA Polymerase III Antibodies

2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1329-1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAOLO AIRO’ ◽  
ANGELA CERIBELLI ◽  
ILARIA CAVAZZANA ◽  
MARA TARABORELLI ◽  
STEFANIA ZINGARELLI ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systemic Sclerosis ◽  
Rna Polymerase ◽  
Temporal Relationship ◽  
Rna Polymerase Iii ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Polymerase Iii ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
I 11 ◽  
Anticentromere Antibodies ◽  
Close Temporal Relationship

Objective.To evaluate the frequency of malignancies in Italian patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) and anti-RNA polymerase III (RNAP III), antitopoisomerase I (topo I), or anticentromere antibodies (ACA); and to characterize the temporal relationship between the 2 diseases, in order to confirm data suggesting a close temporal relationship between the onset of SSc and malignancy in American patients with anti-RNAP III antibodies.Methods.From a cohort of 466 consecutive SSc patients, 360 Italians with isolated positivity for anti-RNAP III (n = 16), anti-topo I (n = 101), or ACA (n = 243) were identified. Malignancy cases were divided according to their relationship with SSc onset into 3 categories: preceding, synchronous with, or metachronous to the onset of SSc (diagnosed more than 6 months before; 6 months before to 12 months after; and more than 12 months after onset of SSc, respectively).Results.Malignancies were more frequent in the anti-RNAP III group (7/16 patients), than in the anti-topo I (11/101) and ACA groups (21/243) (p < 0.001). This difference was accounted for by the number of patients with cancer synchronous to the onset of SSc (3/16 in the anti-RNAP III group vs 0/101 in the anti-topo I and 1/243 in the ACA group; p < 0.001), whereas neither the number of malignancies preceding nor those metachronous to the onset of SSc was significantly different between the groups.Conclusion.In a cohort of Italian patients with SSc we observed a significant association between malignancies synchronous to SSc onset and positivity for anti-RNAP III antibodies, similar to that described in American patients with SSc.

Eye gaze versus arrows as spatial cues: Two qualitatively different modes of attentional selection.

2012 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 326-335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Marotta ◽  
Juan Lupiáñez ◽  
Diana Martella ◽  
Maria Casagrande
Keyword(s):  
Eye Gaze ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Spatial Cues

Low Temperature-Induced GA3 Sensitivity of Wheat. IV. Comparison of Low Temperature Effects on the Phospholipids of Aleurone Tissue of Dwarf and Tall Wheat

1985 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 277 ◽  
Author(s):  
SP Singh ◽  
LG Paleg
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Low Temperature ◽  
Gibberellic Acid ◽  
Temperature Effects ◽  
Temporal Relationship ◽  
Phospholipid Metabolism ◽  
Isogenic Lines ◽  
Receptor Sites ◽  
Aleurone Tissue ◽  
Close Temporal Relationship

Low temperature effects on the phospholipids of F6 Rht 3/rht 3 isogenic lines of wheat were studied. Significant low-temperature-induced (5°C) augmentation in the phospholipids of the dwarf selection were detected. More specifically, a 20 h-5°C preincubation enhanced considerably the levels of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine in the aleurone tissue of the dwarf selection. In addition, these changes displayed a very close temporal relationship with the low- temperature-induced increase in gibberellic acid (GA3) sensitivity. In the case of the tall selection, only the imbibition of water was required to initiate the synthesis of major phospholipids of its aleurone tissue and low temperature preincubation had no effect on either the phospholipids or their fatty acid constituents. These results are discussed in the light of the hypotheses that GA3 receptor sites are membrane-based lipids and that the Rht gene causes an aberration in the phospholipid metabolism of the aleurone tissue which can be corrected by low temperature.

Multi-scale predictions distinctively modulate tone perception in schizophrenia patients with auditory verbal hallucinations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuyin Yang ◽  
Hao Zhu ◽  
Lingfang Yu ◽  
Weihong Lu ◽  
Chen Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Source Monitoring ◽  
Weighting Function ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Multiple Timescales ◽  
Temporal Characteristics ◽  
Auditory Verbal Hallucinations

AbstractsAuditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) are one of the most pronounced symptoms that manifest the underlying mechanisms of deficits in schizophrenia. Cognitive models postulate that malfunctioned source monitoring incorrectly weights the top-down prediction and bottom-up sensory processing and causes hallucinations. Here, we investigate the featural-temporal characteristics of source monitoring in AVHs. Schizophrenia patients with and without AVHs, and healthy controls identified target tones in noise at the end of tone sequences. Predictions of different timescales were manipulated by either an alternating pattern in the preceding tone sequences, or a repetition between the target tone and the tone immediately before. The sensitivity index, d’, was obtained to assess the modulation of predictions on tone identification. We found that patients with AVHs showed higher d’ when the target tones conformed to the long-term regularity of alternating pattern in the preceding tone sequence than that when the targets were inconsistent with the pattern. Whereas, the short-term regularity of repetitions modulated the tone identification in patients without AVHs. Predictions did not influence tone identification in healthy controls. These findings suggest that malfunctioned source monitoring in AVHs heavily weights predictions to form incorrect perception. The weighting function in source monitoring can extend to the process of basic tonal features, and predictions at multiple timescales differentially modulate perception in different clinical populations. These collaboratively reveal the featural and temporal characteristics of weighting function in source monitoring of AVHs and suggest that the malfunctioned interaction between top-down and bottom-up processes might underlie the development of auditory hallucinations.HighlightsMalfunctioned source monitoring incorrectly weights the top-down prediction and bottom-up sensory processing underlie pathogenesis of auditory verbal hallucinations in schizophrenia.The weighting function in top-down predictions and bottom-up sensory processing can extend to tonal features.Predictions at multiple timescales differentially modulate perception in different clinical schizophrenia populations.

Top-Down Predictions Determine Perceptions

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin V. Butz ◽  
Esther F. Kutter
Keyword(s):  
Graphical Models ◽  
Information Integration ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Information ◽  
Generative Models ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
The Brain

While bottom-up visual processing is important, the brain integrates this information with top-down, generative expectations from very early on in the visual processing hierarchy. Indeed, our brain should not be viewed as a classification system, but rather as a generative system, which perceives something by integrating sensory evidence with the available, learned, predictive knowledge about that thing. The involved generative models continuously produce expectations over time, across space, and from abstracted encodings to more concrete encodings. Bayesian information processing is the key to understand how information integration must work computationally – at least in approximation – also in the brain. Bayesian networks in the form of graphical models allow the modularization of information and the factorization of interactions, which can strongly improve the efficiency of generative models. The resulting generative models essentially produce state estimations in the form of probability densities, which are very well-suited to integrate multiple sources of information, including top-down and bottom-up ones. A hierarchical neural visual processing architecture illustrates this point even further. Finally, some well-known visual illusions are shown and the perceptions are explained by means of generative, information integrating, perceptual processes, which in all cases combine top-down prior knowledge and expectations about objects and environments with the available, bottom-up visual information.

scholarly journals Endogenous cueing effects for detection can be accounted for by a decision model of selective attention

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-321
Author(s):  
Miranda L. Johnson ◽  
John Palmer ◽  
Cathleen M. Moore ◽  
Geoffrey M. Boynton
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Decision Model ◽  
External Noise ◽  
Orientation Discrimination ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Selective Perception ◽  
Sequential Condition ◽  
Cueing Effect ◽  
Temporal Intervals ◽  
Spatial Locations

AbstractSpatial cues help participants detect a visual target when it appears at the cued location. One hypothesis for this cueing effect, called selective perception, is that cueing a location enhances perceptual encoding at that location. Another hypothesis, called selective decision, is that the cue has no effect on perception, but instead provides prior information that facilitates decision-making. We distinguished these hypotheses by comparing a simultaneous display with two spatial locations to sequential displays with two temporal intervals. The simultaneous condition had a partially valid spatial cue, and the sequential condition had a partially valid temporal cue. Selective perception predicts no cueing effect for sequential displays given there is enough time to switch attention. In contrast, selective decision predicts cueing effects for sequential displays regardless of time. We used endogenous cueing of a detection-like coarse orientation discrimination task with clear displays (no external noise or postmasks). Results showed cueing effects for the sequential condition, supporting a decision account of selective attention for endogenous cueing of detection-like tasks.

scholarly journals Independent effects of statistical learning and top-down attention

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 (8) ◽  
pp. 3895-3906
Author(s):  
Ya Gao ◽  
Jan Theeuwes
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Statistical Learning ◽  
Spatial Working Memory ◽  
Attentional Selection ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Singleton Distractor ◽  
Priority Map ◽  
Implicit Biases ◽  
Target Experiment ◽  
Independent Effects

Abstract It is well known that spatial attention can be directed in a top-down way to task-relevant locations in space. In addition, through visual statistical learning (VSL), attention can be biased towards relevant (target) locations and away from irrelevant (distractor) locations. The present study investigates the interaction between the explicit task-relevant, top-down attention and the lingering attentional biases due to VSL. We wanted to determine the contribution of each of these two processes to attentional selection. In the current study, participants performed a search task while keeping a location in spatial working memory. In Experiment 1, the target appeared more often in one location, and appeared less often in other location. In Experiment 2, a color singleton distractor was presented more often in location than in all other locations. The results show that when the search target matched the location that was kept in working memory, participants were much faster at responding to the search target than when it did not match, signifying top-down attentional selection. Independent of this top-down effect, we found a clear effect of VSL as responses were even faster when target (Experiment 1) or the distractor (Experiment 2) was presented at a more likely location in visual field. We conclude that attentional selection is driven by implicit biases due to statistical learning and by explicit top-down processing, each process individually and independently modulating the neural activity within the spatial priority map.

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