scholarly journals Paying Attention to Speech: The Role of Cognitive Capacity and Acquired Experience

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bar Lambez ◽  
Galit Agmon ◽  
Paz Har-Shai ◽  
Yuri Rassovsky ◽  
Elana Zion Golumbic
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Extensive Experience ◽  
Distributed Attention ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Aircraft Pilots ◽  
Better Than

AbstractManaging attention in multi-speaker environments is a challenging feat that is critical for human performance. However, why some people are better than others in allocating attention appropriately, remains highly unknown. Here we investigated the contribution of two factors – Cognitive Capacity and Acquired Experience – to performance on two different types of Attention task: Selective Attention to one speaker and Distributed Attention among multiple concurrent speakers. We compared performance across three groups: Individuals with low (n=20) and high cognitive capacity (n=26), and Aircraft Pilots (n=25), who have gained extensive experience on both Selective and Distributed attention to speech through their training and profession. Results indicate that both types of Attention benefit from higher Cognitive Capacity, suggesting reliance on common capacity-limited resources. However, only Selective Attention was further improved in the Pilots, pointing to its flexible and trainable nature, whereas Distributed Attention seems to suffer from more fixed and hard-wired processing-bottlenecks.

Cross-Modal Interaction between Vision and Touch: The Role of Synesthetic Correspondence

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p2984 ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 745-754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gail Martino ◽  
Lawrence E Marks
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Sensory Modality ◽  
Modal Interaction ◽  
Modal Interactions ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Hearing Results ◽  
Sensory Modalities

At each moment, we experience a melange of information arriving at several senses, and often we focus on inputs from one modality and ‘reject’ inputs from another. Does input from a rejected sensory modality modulate one's ability to make decisions about information from a selected one? When the modalities are vision and hearing, the answer is “yes”, suggesting that vision and hearing interact. In the present study, we asked whether similar interactions characterize vision and touch. As with vision and hearing, results obtained in a selective attention task show cross-modal interactions between vision and touch that depend on the synesthetic relationship between the stimulus combinations. These results imply that similar mechanisms may govern cross-modal interactions across sensory modalities.

scholarly journals Parasympathetic and Sympathetic Activity Are Associated with Individual Differences in Neural Indices of Selective Attention in Adults

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan J. Giuliano ◽  
Christina M. Karns ◽  
Theodore A. Bell ◽  
Seth Petersen ◽  
Elizabeth A. Skowron ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Sympathetic Activity ◽  
Mean Amplitude ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Cognitive Capacity ◽  
Parasympathetic Activity ◽  
Cognitive Tasks ◽  
Autonomic Physiology

AbstractMultiple theoretical frameworks posit that interactions between the autonomic nervous system and higher-order neural networks are crucial for cognitive regulation. However, few studies have directly examined the relationship between measures of autonomic physiology and brain activity during cognitive tasks, and fewer studies have examined both the parasympathetic and sympathetic autonomic branches when doing so. Here, 93 adults completed an event-related potential (ERP) auditory selective attention task concurrently with measures of parasympathetic activity (high-frequency heart rate variability; HF-HRV) and sympathetic activity (pre-ejection period; PEP). We replicate previous findings showing effects of selective attention on mean amplitude of the N1 ERP component (Hillyard et al., 1973; Coch et al., 2005), and extend this result to show that the effects of selective attention were associated with baseline values of HF-HRV and PEP. Individuals with higher resting HF-HRV and shorter resting PEP showed larger effects of selective attention on their ERPs. Follow-up regression models demonstrated that HF-HRV and PEP accounted for unique variance in selective attention effects on N1 mean amplitude. These results are consistent with the neurovisceral integration model, which posits that greater parasympathetic activity is a marker of increased cognitive capacity, as well as other theoretical models which emphasize the role of heightened sympathetic activity in more efficient attention-related processing. The present findings highlight the importance of autonomic physiology in the study of individual differences in neurocognitive function, and given the foundational role of selective attention across cognitive domains, suggest that both parasympathetic and sympathetic activity may be key to understanding variability in brain function across a variety of cognitive tasks.

Influence of selective attention to sound in multisensory integration

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 154
Author(s):  
Luis Morís Fernández ◽  
Maya Visser ◽  
Salvador Soto-Faraco
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Video Clip ◽  
Audiovisual Integration ◽  
Acoustic Frequency ◽  
Invalid Condition ◽  
Visual Matching ◽  
Audio Streams ◽  
Better Than

We assessed the role of audiovisual integration in selective attention by testing selective attention to sound. Participants were asked to focus on one audio speech stream out of two audio streams presented simultaneously at different pitch. We measured recall of words from the cued or the uncued sentence using a 2AFC at the end of each trial. A video-clip of the mouth of a speaker was presented in the middle of the display, matching one of the two simultaneous auditory streams (50% of the time it matched the cued sentence and the rest the uncued one). In Experiment 1 the cue was 75% valid. Recall in the valid trials was better than in the invalid ones. The critical result was, however, that only in the valid condition we did find differences between audio–visual matching and audio-visually mismatching sentences. On the invalid condition these differences were not found. In Experiment 2 the cue to the relevant sentence was 100% valid, and we included a control condition where the lips didn’t match either of the sentences. When the lips matched the cued sentence performance was better than when they matched the uncued sentence or none of them, suggesting a benefit of audiovisual matching rather than a cost of mismatch. Our results indicate that attention to acoustic frequency (pitch) plays an important role in what sounds benefit from multisensory integration.

scholarly journals The Role of Spatial Separation on Selective and Distributed Attention to Speech

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danna Pinto ◽  
Galit Agmon ◽  
Elana Zion Golumbic
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Spatial Separation ◽  
Stream Segregation ◽  
Spatial Cues ◽  
Distributed Attention ◽  
Improved Performance ◽  
Attentional Tasks ◽  
Listening Strategies ◽  
Task Irrelevant

AbstractProcessing speech in multi-speaker environments poses substantial challenges to the human perceptual and attention system. Moreover, different contexts may require employing different listening strategies. For instance, in some cases individuals pay attention Selectively to one speaker and attempt to ignore all other task-irrelevant sounds, whereas other contexts may require listeners to Distribute their attention among several speakers. Spatial and spectral acoustic cues both play an important role in assisting listeners to segregate concurrent speakers. However, how these cues interact with varying demands for allocating top-down attention is less clear. In the current study, we test and compare how spatial cues are utilized to benefit performance on these different types of attentional tasks. To this end, participants listened to a concoction of two or four speakers, presented either as emanating from different locations in space or with no spatial separation. In separate trials, participants were required to employ different listening strategies, and detect a target-word spoken either by one pre-defined speaker (Selective Attention) or spoken by any of the speakers (Distributed Attention). Results indicate that the presence of spatial cues improved performance, particularly in the two-speaker condition, which is in line with the important role of spatial cues in stream segregation. However, spatial cues provided similar benefits to performance under Selective and Distributed attention. This pattern suggests that despite the advantage of spatial cues for stream segregation, they were nonetheless insufficient for directing a more focused ‘attentional spotlight’ towards the location of a designated speaker in the Selective attention condition.

Examining the Role of Language in Play Among Children With and Without Developmental Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 795-806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth J. Short ◽  
Rachael Cooper Schindler ◽  
Rita Obeid ◽  
Maia M. Noeder ◽  
Laura E. Hlavaty ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Disabilities ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Free Play ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Play Skills ◽  
Critical Aspect ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Better Than

Purpose Play is a critical aspect of children's development, and researchers have long argued that symbolic deficits in play may be diagnostic of developmental disabilities. This study examined whether deficits in play emerge as a function of developmental disabilities and whether our perceptions of play are colored by differences in language and behavioral presentations. Method Ninety-three children participated in this study (typically developing [TD]; n = 23, developmental language disorders [DLD]; n = 24, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD]; n = 26, and autism spectrum disorder [ASD]; n = 20). Children were videotaped engaging in free-play. Children's symbolic play (imagination, organization, elaboration, and comfort) was scored under conditions of both audible language and no audible language to assess diagnostic group differences in play and whether audible language impacted raters' perception of play. Results Significant differences in play were evident across diagnostic groups. The presence of language did not alter play ratings for the TD group, but differences were found among the other diagnostic groups. When language was audible, children with DLD and ASD (but not ADHD) were scored poorly on play compared to their TD peers. When language was not audible, children with DLD were perceived to play better than when language was audible. Conversely, children with ADHD showed organizational deficits when language was not available to support their play. Finally, children with ASD demonstrated poor play performance regardless of whether language was audible or not. Conclusions Language affects our understanding of play skills in some young children. Parents, researchers, and clinicians must be careful not to underestimate or overestimate play based on language presentation. Differential skills in language have the potential to unduly influence our perceptions of play for children with developmental disabilities.

ROLE OF ADDED PHOSPHOGYPSUM AND HUMIC ACIDS IN THE KINETIC RELEASE OF SALT FROM SALT AFFECTED SOIL (SALINE – SODIC)

2020 ◽  
pp. 15-27
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Humic Acids ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Release Kinetics ◽  
Sodium Adsorption Ratio ◽  
Salt Affected Soil ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Dissolved Ions ◽  
Kinetic Release

In order to study the effect of phosphogypsum and humic acids in the kinetic release of salt from salt-affected soil, a laboratory experiment was conducted in which columns made from solid polyethylene were 60.0 cm high and 7.1 cm in diameter. The columns were filled with soil so that the depth of the soil was 30 cm inside the column, the experiment included two factors, the first factor was phosphogypsum and was added at levels 0, 5, 10 and 15 tons ha-1 and the second-factor humic acids were added at levels 0, 50, 100 and 150 kg ha-1 by mixing them with the first 5 cm of column soil and one repeater per treatment. The continuous leaching method was used by using an electrolytic well water 2.72 dS m-1. Collect the leachate daily and continue the leaching process until the arrival of the electrical conductivity of the filtration of leaching up to 3-5 dS m-1. The electrical conductivity and the concentration of positive dissolved ions (Ca, Mg, Na) were estimated in leachate and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) was calculated. The results showed that the best equation for describing release kinetics of the salts and sodium adsorption ratio in soil over time is the diffusion equation. Increasing the level of addition of phosphogypsum and humic acids increased the constant release velocity (K) of salts and the sodium adsorption ratio. The interaction between phosphogypsum and humic acids was also affected by the constant release velocity of salts and the sodium adsorption ratio. The constant release velocity (K) of the salts and the sodium adsorption ratio at any level of addition of phosphogypsum increased with the addition of humic acids. The highest salts release rate was 216.57 in PG3HA3, while the lowest rate was 149.48 in PG0HA0. The highest release rate of sodium adsorption ratio was 206.09 in PG3HA3, while the lowest rate was 117.23 in PG0HA0.

Determinants of English as language choice among Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) in Makassar, Indonesia

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Andi Samsu Rijal ◽  
Andi Mega Januarti Putri
Keyword(s):  
Language Choice ◽  
Migrant Children ◽  
Immigrant Communities ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Language ◽  
Language User ◽  
Public Area ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Language Mastery

The essence of language is human activity. Communication with language is carried out through two basic human activities; speaking and listening during the interaction in a group of people. Immigrants in Makassar city communicate with immigrant communities and Makassar people. They used English and Indonesia to communicate with others. The aims of this article were to find out determinant factors of English as language choice among Unaccompanied Migrant Children (UMC) in Makassar and why they used English as their language choice to communicate with other people out of them. The data were taken from UMC in the shelter under the auspices of Makassar’s Social Office and in the public area of Makassar. This research was a qualitative approach; it was from a sociolinguistic perspective and focuses its analysis with the language choice among UMC. This research showed that most immigrants chose English as their language choice since they were in Makassar because they have acquired better than other international language and it has been mastered naturally by doing social interaction among themselves and people outside their community. UMC had more difficulties to socialize with Indonesian than the adult of Immigrants. Other than their lack of language mastery, they also have the anxiety to adapt to other immigrants and Makassar people. English was used by UMC to show their status as a foreigner who lived in a multicultural situation. Language becomes a power for a human being and it becomes a social identity for language user in one community. During the interaction of UMC in Makassar city, the role of English as an International language is shown.

Cognitive and affective benefits of colouring: Two randomized controlled crossover studies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Jane Holt ◽  
Leah Furbert ◽  
Emily Sweetingham
Keyword(s):  
Selective Attention ◽  
Performance Measures ◽  
Divergent Thinking ◽  
Attention Task ◽  
Creative Cognition ◽  
Randomized Controlled ◽  
Mindful Attention ◽  
Crossover Studies ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Implicit Mood

The current research sought to replicate and extend work suggesting that coloring can reduce anxiety, asking whether coloring can improve cognitive performance. In two experiments undergraduates (N = 47; N = 52) colored and participated in a control condition. Subjective and performance measures of mood and mindfulness were included: an implicit mood test (Experiment 1) and a selective attention task (Experiment 2) along with a divergent thinking test. In both experiments coloring significantly reduced anxiety and increased mindfulness compared with control and baseline scores. Following coloring participants scored significantly lower on implicit fear, than the control condition, and significantly higher on selective attention and original ideation. Coloring may not only reduce anxiety, but also improve mindful attention and creative cognition.

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