Orienting Attention to Points in Time Improves Stimulus Processing Both within and across Modalities

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 715-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathrin Lange ◽  
Brigitte Röder
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Perceptual Processing ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Reaction Time Experiment ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Efficient Processing ◽  
Task Irrelevant

Spatial attention affects the processing of stimuli of both a task-relevant and a task-irrelevant modality. The present study investigated if similar cross-modal effects exist when attention is oriented to a point in time. Short (600 msec) and long (1200 msec) empty intervals, marked by a tactile onset and an auditory or a tactile offset marker, were presented. In each block, the participants had to attend one interval and one modality. Event-related potentials (ERPs) to auditory and tactile offset markers of attended as compared to unattended intervals were characterized by an enhancement of early negative deflections of the auditory and somatosensory ERPs (audition, 100–140 msec; touch, 130–180 msec) when audition or touch was task relevant, respectively. Similar effects were found for auditory stimuli when touch was task relevant. An additional reaction time experiment revealed faster responses to both auditory and tactile stimuli at the attended as compared to the unattended point in time, irrespective of which modality was primary. Both behavioral and ERP data show that attention can be focused on a point in time, which results in a more efficient processing of auditory and tactile stimuli. The ERP data further suggest that a relative enhancement at perceptual processing stages contributes to the processing advantage for temporally attended stimuli. The existence of cross-modal effects of temporal attention underlines the importance of time as a feature for binding input across different modalities.

scholarly journals Age Effects on Distraction in a Visual Task Requiring Fast Reactions: An Event-Related Potential Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petia Kojouharova ◽  
Zsófia Anna Gaál ◽  
Boglárka Nagy ◽  
István Czigler
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Specific Effect ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Stimulus Range ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Fast Reactions ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Task Irrelevant

We investigated the effects of distractors in older and younger participants in choice and simple reaction time tasks with concurrent registration of event-related potentials. In the task the participants had to prevent a disk from falling into a bin after a color or luminosity change (target stimuli). Infrequently, task-irrelevant stimuli (schematic faces or threatening objects) were superimposed on the target stimuli (distractors), or the bin disappeared which required no response (Nogo trials). Reaction time was delayed to the distractors, but this effect was similar in the two age groups. As a robust age-related difference, in the older group a large anterior positivity and posterior negativity emerged to the distractors within the 100–200 ms post-stimulus range, and these components were larger for schematic faces than for threatening objects. sLORETA localized the age-specific effect to the ventral stream of the visual system and to anterior structures considered as parts of the executive system. The Nogo stimuli elicited a late positivity (Nogo P3) with longer latency in the older group. We interpreted the age-related differences as decreased but compensated resistance to task-irrelevant change of the target stimuli.

Intra- and crossmodal refractory effects in auditory and somatosensory ERPs

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (0) ◽  
pp. 156
Author(s):  
Boukje Habets ◽  
Marlene Hense ◽  
Davide Bottari ◽  
Brigitte Roeder
Keyword(s):  
Time Window ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Neural Systems ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Preceding Stimulus ◽  
Period Effects ◽  
Tactile Stimuli ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Random Manner ◽  
Main Effects

Refractory period effects are defined as a temporal decrement in neural response due to a previous activation of the same system. We varied the ISI and modality of a preceding stimulus to investigate overlapping and distinct neural systems processing auditory and tactile stimuli. Auditory stimuli and tactile stimuli were presented in a sequential, random manner with a duration of 50 ms and an ISI of 1000 or 2000 ms. The P1–N1–P2 complex of event-related potentials (ERP) was analyzed separately for auditory and tactile stimuli, as a function of preceding ISI and modality. Main effects of ISI and modality were found within the time-window of the P1 and P2 (auditory) and P1, N1 and P2 (tactile). These results suggest an overlap in underlying neural systems when stimuli from different modalities are being processed.

Spatial attention to central and peripheral auditory stimuli as indexed by event-related potentials

1999 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 213-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wolfgang A Teder-Sälejärvi ◽  
Steven A Hillyard ◽  
Brigitte Röder ◽  
Helen J Neville
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Auditory Stimuli ◽  
Related Potentials

scholarly journals ERP Evidence for a Sex-Specific Stroop Effect in Emotional Speech

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1135-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annett Schirmer ◽  
Sonja A. Kotz
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Processing ◽  
Event Related Potentials ◽  
Behavioral Effect ◽  
Emotional Prosody ◽  
Emotional Speech ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Emotional Information ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Related Potentials ◽  
Task Irrelevant

The present study investigated the interaction of emotional prosody and word valence during emotional comprehension in men and women. In a prosody-word interference task, participants listened to positive, neutral, and negative words that were spoken with a happy, neutral, and angry prosody. Participants were asked to rate word valence while ignoring emotional prosody, or vice versa. Congruent stimuli were responded faster and more accurately as compared to incongruent emotional stimuli. This behavioral effect was more salient for the word valence task than for the prosodic task and was comparable between men and women. The event-related potentials (ERPs) revealed a smaller N400 amplitude for congruent as compared to emotionally incongruent stimuli. This ERP effect, however, was significant only for the word valence judgment and only for female listeners. The present data suggest that the word valence judgment was more difficult and more easily influenced by task-irrelevant emotional information than the prosodic task in both men and women. Furthermore, although emotional prosody and word valence may have a similar influence on an emotional judgment in both sexes, ERPs indicate sex differences in the underlying processing. Women, but not men, show an interaction between prosody and word valence during a semantic processing stage.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document