scholarly journals Prior context influences motor brain areas in an auditory oddball task and prefrontal cortex multitasking modelling

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Mugruza-Vassallo ◽  
Douglas D. Potter ◽  
Stamatina Tsiora ◽  
Jennifer A. Macfarlane ◽  
Adele Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Standard Condition ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Auditory Oddball ◽  
Prior Context ◽  
Fmri Analysis

AbstractIn this study, the relationship of orienting of attention, motor control and the Stimulus- (SDN) and Goal-Driven Networks (GDN) was explored through an innovative method for fMRI analysis considering all voxels in four experimental conditions: standard target (Goal; G), novel (N), neutral (Z) and noisy target (NG). First, average reaction times (RTs) for each condition were calculated. In the second-level analysis, ‘distracted’ participants, as indicated by slower RTs, evoked brain activations and differences in both hemispheres’ neural networks for selective attention, while the participants, as a whole, demonstrated mainly left cortical and subcortical activations. A context analysis was run in the behaviourally distracted participant group contrasting the trials immediately prior to the G trials, namely one of the Z, N or NG conditions, i.e. Z.G, N.G, NG.G. Results showed different prefrontal activations dependent on prior context in the auditory modality, recruiting between 1 to 10 prefrontal areas. The higher the motor response and influence of the previous novel stimulus, the more prefrontal areas were engaged, which extends the findings of hierarchical studies of prefrontal control of attention and better explains how auditory processing interferes with movement. Also, the current study addressed how subcortical loops and models of previous motor response affected the signal processing of the novel stimulus, when this was presented laterally or simultaneously with the target. This multitasking model could enhance our understanding on how an auditory stimulus is affecting motor responses in a way that is self-induced, by taking into account prior context, as demonstrated in the standard condition and as supported by Pulvinar activations complementing visual findings. Moreover, current BCI works address some multimodal stimulus-driven systems.

scholarly journals Prior context influences motor brain areas in an auditory oddball task and prefrontal cortex multitasking modelling

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Mugruza-Vassallo ◽  
Douglas D. Potter ◽  
Stamatina Tsiora ◽  
Jennifer Macfarlane ◽  
Adele Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Standard Condition ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Auditory Oddball ◽  
Prior Context ◽  
Fmri Analysis

Abstract In this study, the relationship of orienting of attention, motor control and the Stimulus- (SDN) and Goal-Driven Networks (GDN) was explored through an innovative method for fMRI analysis considering all voxels in four experimental conditions: standard target (Goal; G), novel (N), neutral (Z) and noisy target (NG). First, average reaction times (RTs) for each condition were calculated. In the second level analysis, ‘distracted’ participants, as indicated by slower RTs, evoked brain activations and differences in both hemispheres’ neural networks for selective attention, while the participants, as a whole, demonstrated mainly left cortical and subcortical activations. A context analysis was run in the behaviourally distracted participant group contrasting the trials immediately prior to the G trials, namely one of the Z, N or NG conditions, i.e. Z.G, N.G, NG.G. Results showed different prefrontal activations dependent on prior context in the auditory modality, recruiting between 1 to 10 prefrontal areas. The higher the motor response and influence of the previous novel stimulus, the more prefrontal areas were engaged, which extends the findings of hierarchical studies of prefrontal control of attention and better explains how auditory processing interferes with movement. Also, the current study addressed how subcortical loops and models of previous motor response affected the signal processing of the novel stimulus, when this was presented laterally or simultaneously with the target. This multitasking model could enhance our understanding on how an auditory stimulus is affecting motor responses in a way that is self-induced, by taking into account prior context, as demonstrated in the standard condition and as supported by Pulvinar activations complementing visual findings. Moreover, current BCI works address some multimodal stimulus-driven systems.

scholarly journals Prior context influences motor brain areas in an auditory oddball task and prefrontal cortex multitasking modelling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos A. Mugruza-Vassallo ◽  
Douglas D. Potter ◽  
Stamatina Tsiora ◽  
Jennifer Macfarlane ◽  
Adele Maxwell
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Motor Response ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Auditory Oddball ◽  
Prior Context ◽  
Participant Group ◽  
Fmri Analysis ◽  
Relationship Of

Abstract In this study, the relationship of orienting of attention, motor control and the Stimulus- (SDN) and Goal-Driven Network (GDN) was explored through an innovative method for fMRI analysis considering all voxels after every type condition. The task consisted of four conditions: standard target (G), novel (N), neutral (Z) and noisy target (NG). First running average reaction times of each condition was made. In the second level analysis, ‘distracted’ participants evoke brain activations and differences in both hemispheres neural network for selective attention as previously reported while the participants, as a whole, demonstrated mainly left cortical and subcortical activations. A context analysis was run in the behaviourally distracted participant group contrasting the trials immediately prior to the G trials, namely one of the Z, N or NG conditions. Results showed different prefrontal activations were evoked dependent on prior context in auditory modality with recruiting from 1 to 10 brain prefrontal areas. The more motor response and influence of the previous novel stimulus the more prefrontal areas, which extend hierarchical studies of prefrontal control of attention and explain better how the auditory processing interferes with movement. Also, it was addressed how subcortical loops and model of previous motor response affected the signal processing the novel stimulus, lateralized or simultaneously, with the Target. This model makes the first grasp to understand how auditory stimulus is changing motor responses in a kind of self-induced motor response. Moreover, current BCI works address some multimodal stimulus-driven systems.

Implicit Semantic Priming in Spanish-Speaking Children and Adults: An Auditory Lexical Decision Task

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dolors Girbau ◽  
Richard G. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Lexical Decision ◽  
Semantic Priming ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Semantic Networks ◽  
Unrelated Word ◽  
Pair Type ◽  
Decision Task ◽  
Auditory Modality

Although receptive priming has long been used as a way to examine lexical access in adults, few studies have applied this method to children and rarely in an auditory modality. We compared auditory associative priming in children and adults. A testing battery and a Lexical Decision (LD) task was administered to 42 adults and 27 children (8;1–10;11 years-old) from Spain. They listened to Spanish word pairs (semantically related/unrelated word pairs and word-pseudoword pairs), and tone pairs. Then participants pressed one key for word pairs, and another for pairs with a word and a pseudoword. They also had to press the two keys alternatively for tone pairs as a basic auditory control. Both groups of participants, children and adults, exhibited semantic priming, with significantly faster Reaction Times (RTs) to semantically related word pairs than to unrelated pairs and to the two word-pseudoword sets. The priming effect was twice as large in the adults compared to children, and the children (not the adults) were significantly slower in their response to word-pseudoword pairs than to the unrelated word pairs. Moreover, accuracy was somewhat higher in adults than children for each word pair type, but especially in the word-pseudoword pairs. As expected, children were significantly slower than adults in the RTs for all stimulus types, and their RTs decreased significantly from 8 to 10 years of age and they also decreased in relation to some of their language abilities development (e.g., relative clauses comprehension). In both age groups, the Reaction Time average for tone pairs was lower than for speech pairs, but only all adults obtained 100% accuracy (which was slightly lower in children). Auditory processing and semantic networks are still developing in 8-10 year old children.

scholarly journals Recovery of Platinum from a Spent Automotive Catalyst through Chloride Leaching and Solvent Extraction

Recycling ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Ana Méndez ◽  
Carlos A. Nogueira ◽  
Ana Paula Paiva
Keyword(s):  
Solvent Extraction ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Catalytic Converter ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Model Solution ◽  
Critical Metals ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Chloride Leaching ◽  
Good Potential ◽  
Hydrometallurgical Treatment

Considering economics and environmental sustainability, recycling of critical metals from end-of-life devices should be a priority. In this work the hydrometallurgical treatment of a spent automotive catalytic converter (SACC) using HCl with CaCl2 as a leaching medium, and solvent extraction (SX) with a thiodiglycolamide derivative, is reported. The aim was to develop a leaching scheme allowing high Pt recoveries and minimizing Al dissolution, facilitating the application of SX. The replacement of part of HCl by CaCl2 in the leaching step is viable, without compromising Pt recovery (in the range 75–85%), as found for the mixture 2 M CaCl2 + 8 M HCl when compared to 11.6 M HCl. All leaching media showed good potential to recover Ce, particularly for higher reaction times and temperatures. Regarding SX, results achieved with a model solution were promising, but SX for Pt separation from the real SACC solution did not work as expected. For the adopted experimental conditions, the tested thiodiglycolamide derivative in toluene revealed a very good loading performance for both Pt and Fe, but Fe removal and Pt stripping from the organic phases after contact with the SACC solution were not successfully accomplished. Hence, the reutilization of the organic solvent needs improvement.

scholarly journals Auditory Processing of Gender Agreement across Relative Clauses by Spanish Heritage Speakers

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Daniel Vergara ◽  
Gilda Socarrás
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Age Of Onset ◽  
Spanish Language ◽  
Auditory Task ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Gender Agreement ◽  
Heritage Speakers ◽  
L2 Learners ◽  
Spanish Heritage Speakers

Processing research on Spanish gender agreement has focused on L2 learners’ and—to a lesser extent—heritage speakers’ sensitivity to gender agreement violations. This research has been mostly carried out in the written modality, which places heritage speakers at a disadvantage as they are more frequently exposed to Spanish auditorily. This study contributes to the understanding of the differences between heritage and L2 grammars by examining the processing of gender agreement in the auditory modality and its impact on comprehension. Twenty Spanish heritage speakers and 20 intermediate L2 learners listened to stimuli containing two nouns with gender mismatches in the main clause, and an adjective in the relative clause that only agreed in gender with one of the nouns. We measured noun-adjective agreement accuracy through participants’ responses to an auditory task. Our results show that heritage speakers are more accurate than L2 learners in the auditory processing of gender agreement information for comprehension. Additionally, heritage speakers’ accuracy is modulated by their Spanish language proficiency and age of onset. Participants also exhibit higher accuracies in cases in which the adjective agrees with the first noun. We argue that this is an ambiguity resolution strategy influenced by the experimental task.

Computerized LEXTOMM Battery (Language, EXecutive functions, Theory Of Mind, episodic Memory)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcela Perrone-Bertolotti ◽  
Lucile Meunier ◽  
Christine Bulteau ◽  
Anna Borne ◽  
Samuel El Bouzaïdi Tiali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Cognition ◽  
Theory Of Mind ◽  
Executive Functions ◽  
Declarative Memory ◽  
Training Session ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Cognitive Outcomes ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Executive Processes ◽  
Memory Switching

We present a computerize battery constructed to evaluate behavioral performances for language, declarative memory, executive functions and social cognition abilities. This battery was created to evaluate cognitive outcomes in adults who underwent hemispherotomy as a clinical treatment of Rasmussen Encephalitis (RE) in their childhood and have been tested in a group of healthy participants (n= 88). LEXTOMM battery can be used for cognitive assessment of any type of population and allow the collection of behavioral performances in terms of accuracy and reaction times. LEXTOMM battery is composed of six language tasks allowing to assess six different linguistic abilities such as lexical storage, semantics, phonology, syntax, prosody perception and production. Different input modalities are proposed for these tasks (picture, written and auditory modality). A specific task allowing the assessment of the language generation and declarative memory interaction is also proposed. The battery also included a visual control categorization task is proposed in order to assess decision-making baseline. Moreover, LEXTOMM also includes four tasks allowing the assessment of the executive functions. More specifically we included tasks allowing the evaluation of four executive processes: updating in working memory, switching/flexibility, sustained attention and inhibition. Finally, the battery includes a theory of mind abilities task. All tasks were developed using the E-Prime 3.0 software (E-Prime Psychology Software Tools Inc., Pittsburgh, USA), running on a PC. Before each task, a training session is included, with several stimuli that differ from those presented during the experiment. This training allows participants to understand the instructions and get familiarized with each task. Hereafter, we describe the procedures and tasks included in LEXTOMM, in the following order: low-level visual categorization, language, language in interaction with declarative memory, executive functions and social cognition/theory of mind.

Covert orienting of attention in macaques. I. Effects of behavioral context

1993 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 431-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. M. Bowman ◽  
V. J. Brown ◽  
C. Kertzman ◽  
U. Schwarz ◽  
D. L. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Orienting Response ◽  
Validity Effect ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Covert Orienting ◽  
Cognitive Influences ◽  
Attentional Effect ◽  
Peripheral Cues ◽  
Neurophysiological Studies

1. A task was used by Posner (1980) to measure shifts of attention that occurred covertly, in the absence of an eye movement or other orienting response. This paradigm was used here to assess the nature of covert attentional orienting in monkeys to develop an animal model for neurophysiological studies. Shifts of attention were measurable in monkeys and were consistent across a variety of experimental conditions. 2. The paradigm required that monkeys fixate and release a bar at the appearance of a target, which was preceded by a cue. Reaction times to targets that followed peripheral cues at the same location (validly cued) were significantly faster than those that followed cues in the opposite visual field (invalidly cued). This difference was defined as the validity effect, which as in humans, is used as the measure of a covert attentional shift. 3. When the proportion of validly to invalidly cued targets was decreased, no change was seen in the validity effect of the monkeys. This is in contrast to humans, for whom the ratio of validly to invalidly cued targets affected the magnitude of the validity effect. When 80% of the targets were preceded by cues at the same location, the validity effect was greatest. The effect was reversed when the proportions were reversed. From this result, it is concluded that cognitive processes can affect covert orienting to peripheral cues in humans, whereas in trained monkeys, performance was automatic. 4. To test whether cognitive influences on attention could be demonstrated in the monkey, an animal was taught to use symbolic, foveal signals to covertly direct attention. The magnitude of this validity effect was greater than that obtained with peripheral cues. 5. The effects of motivational and perceptual processes were tested. Although overall reaction times could be modified, the facilitating effects of the cues persisted. This constancy across motivational and perceptual levels supports the notion that the monkeys were performing the task in an automatic way, under the exogenous control of peripheral cues. 6. Most visual cuing has been tested with visual landmarks at the locations of cues and targets. These monkeys were trained with such landmarks, and when tested without them, the attentional effect of the cues was nearly abolished. These data suggest that local visual features can be important for covert orienting. 7. To determine the spatial extent of the effect of the cue, monkeys and humans were tested with four cue-target distances (0-60 degrees).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

scholarly journals Another Warning about Median Reaction Time --- Version of 11 Feb 2020

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff Miller
Keyword(s):  
Type I Error ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Type I ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Type I Error Rates ◽  
Correction Technique ◽  
Inflated Type ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Rt Distributions

Contrary to the warning of Miller (1988), Rousselet and Wilcox (2020) argued that it is better to summarize each participant’s single-trial reaction times (RTs) in a given condition with the median than with the mean when comparing the central tendencies of RT distributions across experimental conditions. They acknowledged that median RTs can produce inflated Type I error rates when conditions differ in the number of trials tested, consistent with Miller’s warning, but they showed that the bias responsible for this error rate inflation could be eliminated with a bootstrap bias correction technique. The present simulations extend their analysis by examining the power of bias-corrected medians to detect true experimental effects and by comparing this power with the power of analyses using means and regular medians. Unfortunately, although bias-corrected medians solve the problem of inflated Type I error rates, their power is lower than that of means or regular medians in many realistic situations. In addition, even when conditions do not differ in the number of trials tested, the power of tests (e.g., t-tests) is generally lower using medians rather than means as the summary measures. Thus, the present simulations demonstrate that summary means will often provide the most powerful test for differences between conditions, and they show what aspects of the RT distributions determine the size of the power advantage for means.

scholarly journals Rapid orienting of spatial attention toward and away from aggressive voices

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Burra ◽  
Dirk Kerzel ◽  
David Munoz ◽  
Didier Grandjean ◽  
Leonardo Ceravolo
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Attention ◽  
Auditory Processing ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Stimulus Onset ◽  
Event Related Potential ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Auditory Spatial Attention ◽  
Vocal Signals

Salient vocalizations, especially aggressive voices, are believed to attract attention due to an automatic threat detection system. However, studies assessing the temporal dynamics of auditory spatial attention to aggressive voices are missing. Using event-related potential markers of auditory spatial attention (N2ac and LPCpc), we show that attentional processing of threatening vocal signals is enhanced at two different stages of auditory processing. As early as 200 ms post stimulus onset, attentional orienting/engagement is enhanced for threatening as compared to happy vocal signals. Subsequently, as early as 400 ms post stimulus onset, the reorienting of auditory attention to the center of the screen (or disengagement from the target) is enhanced. This latter effect is consistent with the need to optimize perception by balancing the intake of stimulation from left and right auditory space. Our results extend the scope of theories from the visual to the auditory modality by showing that threatening stimuli also bias early spatial attention in the auditory modality. Although not the focus of the present work, we observed that the attentional enhancement was more pronounced in female than male participants.

Saccades and Subjective Time in Seconds Range Duration Reproduction

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor B. Penney ◽  
Xiaoqin Cheng ◽  
Yan Ling Leow ◽  
Audrey Wei Ying Bay ◽  
Esther Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Test Phase ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Visual Modality ◽  
Subjective Time ◽  
Auditory Modality ◽  
Attention Shift ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Perceptual Stability ◽  
Time Distortion

A transient suppression of visual perception during saccades ensures perceptual stability. In two experiments, we examined whether saccades affect time perception of visual and auditory stimuli in the seconds range. Specifically, participants completed a duration reproduction task in which they memorized the duration of a 6 s timing signal during the training phase and later reproduced that duration during the test phase. Four experimental conditions differed in saccade requirements and the presence or absence of a secondary discrimination task during the test phase. For both visual and auditory timing signals, participants reproduced longer durations when the secondary discrimination task required saccades to be made (i.e., overt attention shift) during reproduction as compared to when the discrimination task merely required fixation at screen center. Moreover, greater total saccade duration in a trial resulted in greater time distortion. However, in the visual modality, requiring participants to covertly shift attention (i.e., no saccade) to complete the discrimination task increased reproduced duration as much as making a saccade, whereas in the auditory modality making a saccade increased reproduced duration more than making a covert attention shift. In addition, we examined microsaccades in the conditions that did not require full saccades for both the visual and auditory experiments. Greater total microsaccade duration in a trial resulted in greater time distortion in both modalities. Taken together, the experiments suggest that saccades and microsaccades affect seconds range visual and auditory interval timing via attention and saccadic suppression mechanisms.

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