scholarly journals Attention “Blinks” Differently for Plants and Animals

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Balas ◽  
Jennifer L. Momsen
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Refractory Period ◽  
Visual Cognition ◽  
Image Sequences ◽  
Functional Roles ◽  
Physiological Constraints ◽  
Attentional Resources

Plants, to many, are simply not as interesting as animals. Students typically prefer to study animals rather than plants and recall plants more poorly, and plants are underrepresented in the classroom. The observed paucity of interest for plants has been described as plant blindness, a term that is meant to encapsulate both the tendency to neglect plants in the environment and the lack of appreciation for plants’ functional roles. While the term plant blindness suggests a perceptual or attentional component to plant neglect, few studies have examined whether there are real differences in how plants and animals are perceived. Here, we use an established paradigm in visual cognition, the “attentional blink,” to compare the extent to which images of plants and animals capture attentional resources. We find that participants are better able to detect animals than plants in rapid image sequences and that visual attention has a different refractory period when a plant has been detected. These results suggest there are fundamental differences in how the visual system processes plants that may contribute to plant blindness. We discuss how perceptual and physiological constraints on visual processing may suggest useful strategies for characterizing and overcoming zoocentrism.

scholarly journals EXPRESS: T1 difficulty does not modulate the magnitude of the attentional blink

2021 ◽  
pp. 174702182110547
Author(s):  
Thomas Spalek ◽  
Hayley Lagroix ◽  
Vincent Di Lollo
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Visual System ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Refractory Period ◽  
Dependent Measure ◽  
Identification Accuracy ◽  
Laboratory Studies ◽  
Response Scale ◽  
Scale Removal ◽  
Rapid Sequence

When the visual system is busy processing one stimulus it has problems processing a subsequent stimulus if it arrives soon after the first. Laboratory studies of this second-stimulus impairment – known as ¬attentional blink (AB) – have employed two targets (T1, T2) presented in rapid sequence, and have found identification accuracy to be nearly perfect for T1 but impaired for T2. It is commonly believed that the magnitude of the AB is related directly to the difficulty of T1: the greater the T1 difficulty, the larger the AB. A survey of the experimental literature disconfirms that belief showing it to have arisen from artificial constraints imposed by the 100% limit of the response scale. Removal of that constraint, either by using reaction time (RT) instead of accuracy as the dependent measure, or in experiments in which the functions of T2 accuracy over lags do not converge to the limit of the response scale, reveals parallel functions for the easy-T1 and the hard-T1 conditions, consistent with the idea that T1 difficulty does not modulate AB magnitude. This finding is problematic for all but the Boost-and-Bounce and the Locus Coeruleus-Norepinephrine theories in which T1 acts merely as a trigger for an eventual refractory period that leads to the failure to process T2, rendering T1 difficulty and its relationship to the AB an irrelevant consideration.

Visual disgust-elicitors produce an attentional blink independent of contextual and trait-level pathogen avoidance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paola Perone ◽  
David Vaughn Becker ◽  
Joshua M. Tybur
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Visual Stimuli ◽  
Attentional Biases ◽  
Attentional Processing ◽  
Trait Level ◽  
Task Irrelevant ◽  
Pathogen Avoidance

Multiple studies report that disgust-eliciting stimuli are perceived as salient and subsequently capture selective attention. In the current study, we aimed to better understand the nature of temporal attentional biases toward disgust-eliciting stimuli and to investigate the extent to which these biases are sensitive to contextual and trait-level pathogen avoidance motives. Participants (N=116) performed in an Emotional Attentional Blink (EAB) task in which task-irrelevant disgust-eliciting, fear-eliciting, or neutral images preceded a target by 200, 500, or 800 milliseconds (i.e., lag two, five and eight respectively). They did so twice - once while not exposed to an odor, and once while exposed to either an odor that elicited disgust or an odor that did not - and completed a measure of disgust sensitivity. Results indicate that disgust-eliciting visual stimuli produced a greater attentional blink than neutral visual stimuli at lag two and a greater attentional blink than fear-eliciting visual stimuli at both lag two and at lag five. Neither the odor manipulations nor individual differences measures moderated this effect. We propose that visual attention is engaged for a longer period of time following disgust-eliciting stimuli because covert processes automatically initiate the evaluation of pathogen threats. The fact that state and trait pathogen avoidance do not influence this temporal attentional bias suggests that early attentional processing of pathogen cues is initiated independent from the context in which such cues are perceived.

scholarly journals A Driver’s Visual Attention Prediction Using Optical Flow

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 3722
Author(s):  
Byeongkeun Kang ◽  
Yeejin Lee
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Optical Flow ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Apparent Movement ◽  
Image Sequences ◽  
Motion Information ◽  
Accuracy Improvement ◽  
Flow Maps ◽  
Current State ◽  
Motion Features

Motion in videos refers to the pattern of the apparent movement of objects, surfaces, and edges over image sequences caused by the relative movement between a camera and a scene. Motion, as well as scene appearance, are essential features to estimate a driver’s visual attention allocation in computer vision. However, the fact that motion can be a crucial factor in a driver’s attention estimation has not been thoroughly studied in the literature, although driver’s attention prediction models focusing on scene appearance have been well studied. Therefore, in this work, we investigate the usefulness of motion information in estimating a driver’s visual attention. To analyze the effectiveness of motion information, we develop a deep neural network framework that provides attention locations and attention levels using optical flow maps, which represent the movements of contents in videos. We validate the performance of the proposed motion-based prediction model by comparing it to the performance of the current state-of-art prediction models using RGB frames. The experimental results for a real-world dataset confirm our hypothesis that motion plays a role in prediction accuracy improvement, and there is a margin for accuracy improvement by using motion features.

Visual Processing without Awareness: Evidence from Unilateral Neglect

1992 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Berti ◽  
Giacomo Rizzolatti
Keyword(s):  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Awareness ◽  
Visual Cognition ◽  
Congruent Condition ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Unilateral Neglect ◽  
Normal Field ◽  
The Third ◽  
Physically Identical ◽  
Physiological Theory

Can visual processing be carried out without visual awareness of the presented objects? In the present study we addressed this problem in patients with severe unilateral neglect. The patients were required to respond as fast as possible to target stimuli (pictures of animals and fruits) presented to the normal field by pressing one of the two keys according to the category of the targets. We then studied the influence of priming stimuli, again pictures of animals or fruits, presented to the neglected field on the responses to targets. By combining different pairs of primes and targets, three different experimental conditions were obtained. In the first condition, "Highly congruent," the target and prime stimuli belonged to the same category and were physically identical; in the second condition, "Congruent," the stimuli represented two elements of the same category but were physically dissimilar; in the third condition, "Noncongruent," the stimuli represented one exemplar from each of the two categories of stimuli. The results showed that the responses were facilitated not only in the Highly congruent condition, but also in the Congruent one. This finding suggests that patients with neglect are able to process stimuli presented to the neglected field to a categorical level of representation even when they deny the stimulus presence in the affected field. The implications of this finding for psychological and physiological theory of neglect and visual cognition are discussed.

scholarly journals Sustained Splits of Attention within versus across Visual Hemifields Produce Distinct Spatial Gain Profiles

2016 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Walter ◽  
Christian Keitel ◽  
Matthias M. Müller
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Behavioral Performance ◽  
Lower Visual Field ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Visual Hemifield ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Visual Cortices ◽  
Cortical Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Hemifields

Visual attention can be focused concurrently on two stimuli at noncontiguous locations while intermediate stimuli remain ignored. Nevertheless, behavioral performance in multifocal attention tasks falters when attended stimuli fall within one visual hemifield as opposed to when they are distributed across left and right hemifields. This “different-hemifield advantage” has been ascribed to largely independent processing capacities of each cerebral hemisphere in early visual cortices. Here, we investigated how this advantage influences the sustained division of spatial attention. We presented six isoeccentric light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in the lower visual field, each flickering at a different frequency. Participants attended to two LEDs that were spatially separated by an intermediate LED and responded to synchronous events at to-be-attended LEDs. Task-relevant pairs of LEDs were either located in the same hemifield (“within-hemifield” conditions) or separated by the vertical meridian (“across-hemifield” conditions). Flicker-driven brain oscillations, steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs), indexed the allocation of attention to individual LEDs. Both behavioral performance and SSVEPs indicated enhanced processing of attended LED pairs during “across-hemifield” relative to “within-hemifield” conditions. Moreover, SSVEPs demonstrated effective filtering of intermediate stimuli in “across-hemifield” condition only. Thus, despite identical physical distances between LEDs of attended pairs, the spatial profiles of gain effects differed profoundly between “across-hemifield” and “within-hemifield” conditions. These findings corroborate that early cortical visual processing stages rely on hemisphere-specific processing capacities and highlight their limiting role in the concurrent allocation of visual attention to multiple locations.

Visual attention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder before and after stimulant treatment

2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (15) ◽  
pp. 2617-2625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Marie Low ◽  
Signe Vangkilde ◽  
Julijana le Sommer ◽  
Birgitte Fagerlund ◽  
Birte Glenthøj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Processing Speed ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Stimulant Medication ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Visual Processing Speed ◽  
Adhd Symptomatology

AbstractBackgroundAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder which frequently persists into adulthood. The primary goal of the current study was to (a) investigate attentional functions of stimulant medication-naïve adults with ADHD, and (b) investigate the effects of 6 weeks of methylphenidate treatment on these functions.MethodsThe study was a prospective, non-randomized, non-blinded, 6-week follow-up design with 42 stimulant medication-naïve adult patients with ADHD, and 42 age and parental education-matched healthy controls. Assessments included measures of visual attention, based on Bundesen's Theory of Visual Attention (TVA), which yields five precise measures of aspects of visual attention; general psychopathology; ADHD symptoms; dyslexia screening; and estimates of IQ.ResultsAt baseline, significant differences were found between patients and controls on three attentional parameters: visual short-term memory capacity, threshold of conscious perception, and to a lesser extent visual processing speed. Secondary analyses revealed no significant correlations between TVA parameter estimates and severity of ADHD symptomatology. At follow-up, significant improvements were found specifically for visual processing speed; this improvement had a large effect size, and remained when controlling for re-test effects, IQ, and dyslexia screen performance. There were no significant correlations between changes in visual processing speed and changes in ADHD symptomatology.ConclusionsADHD in adults may be associated with deficits in three distinct aspects of visual attention. Improvements after 6 weeks of medication are seen specifically in visual processing speed, which could represent an improvement in alertness. Clinical symptoms and visual attentional deficits may represent separate aspects of ADHD in adults.

scholarly journals Driving and visual deficits in stroke patients

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 85-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Marcondes Braga ◽  
Renato Nickel ◽  
Marcos Lange ◽  
Élcio Juliato Piovesan
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Visual Attention ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Moderate Risk ◽  
Interference Factor ◽  
Visual Deficits ◽  
Useful Field Of View ◽  
High Level ◽  
Safe Performance ◽  
Intention Group

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of the present study was to conduct an exploratory assessment of visual impairment following stroke, and to discuss the possibilities of reintroducing patients to the activity of driving. Methods: The Useful Field of View test was used to assess visual processing and visual attention. Results: A total of 18 patients were included in the study, and were assigned to either the drive group (n = 9) or the intention group (n = 9). In the drive group, one patient was categorized as moderate-to-high risk; whereas, in the intention group, one patient was categorized as low-to-moderate risk. Additionally, two patients in the intention group were categorized as high risk. The patients did not perceive their visual deficits as a limitation. Conclusion: Visual attention is an interference factor in terms of the safe performance of driving after a stroke. All patients showed a high level of interest for the independence provided through being able to drive.

Priming from the Attentional Blink: A Failure to Extract Visual Tokens but Not Visual Types

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kimron Shapiro ◽  
Jon Driver ◽  
Robert Ward ◽  
Robyn E. Sorensen
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Blink ◽  
Semantic Priming ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Visual Representation ◽  
Stimulus Processing ◽  
Visual Events ◽  
Early Visual Processing ◽  
Location Detection ◽  
Subsequent Target ◽  
Initial Target

When people must detect several targets in a very rapid stream of successive visual events at the same location, detection of an initial target induces misses for subsequent targets within a brief period. This attentional blink may serve to prevent interruption of ongoing target processing by temporarily suppressing vision for subsequent stimuli. We examined the level at which the internal blink operates, specifically, whether it prevents early visual processing or prevents quite substantial processing from reaching awareness. Our data support the latter view. We observed priming from missed letter targets, benefiting detection of a subsequent target with the same identity but a different case. In a second study, we observed semantic priming from word targets that were missed during the blink. These results demonstrate that attentional gating within the blink operates only after substantial stimulus processing has already taken place. The results are discussed in terms of two forms of visual representation, namely, types and tokens.

scholarly journals Decreased Visual Attention Further from the Perceived Direction of Gaze for Equidistant Retinal Targets

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 661-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Balslev ◽  
Emma Gowen ◽  
R. Chris Miall
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation ◽  
Eye Position ◽  
Eye Muscle ◽  
Visual Hemifield ◽  
Proprioceptive Signal ◽  
Visual Targets ◽  
Attention Systems ◽  
The Right

The oculomotor and spatial attention systems are interconnected. Whereas a link between motor commands and spatial shifts in visual attention is demonstrated, it is still unknown whether the recently discovered proprioceptive signal in somatosensory cortex impacts on visual attention, too. This study investigated whether visual targets near the perceived direction of gaze are detected more accurately than targets further away, despite the equal eccentricity of their retinal projections. We dissociated real and perceived eye position using left somatosensory repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which decreases cortical processing of eye muscle proprioceptive inflow and produces an underestimation of the rotation of the right eye. Participants detected near-threshold visual targets presented in the left or right visual hemifield at equal distance from fixation. We have previously shown that when the right eye is rotated to the left of the parasagittal plane, TMS produces an underestimation of this rotation, shifting perceived eye position to the right. Here we found that, in this condition, TMS also decreased target detection in the left visual hemifield and increased it in the right. This effect depended on the direction of rotation of the right eye. When the right eye was rotated rightward and TMS, we assume, shifted perceived gaze direction in opposite direction, leftward, visual accuracy decreased now in the right hemifield. We suggest that the proprioceptive eye position signal modulates the spatial distribution of visual processing resources, producing “pseudo-neglect” for objects located far relative to near the perceived direction of gaze.

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