Generalization of attentional control strategies across distinct tasks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Walden Y. Li ◽  
Molly R McKinney ◽  
Jessica Irons ◽  
Andrew B. Leber
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Adaptive Choice ◽  
Feature Based ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Similar Task

Does attentional control strategy generalize across different visual search tasks? Previous research has failed to observe significant correlations in strategy metrics between different visual search tasks (Clarke et al., 2020), suggesting that strategy is not unitary, or determined by a single trait variable. Here we question just how heterogeneous (non-unitary) strategies are, hypothesizing a similarity gradient account, which holds that strategy does generalize to some degree, specifically across tasks with similar attentional components. To test this account, we employed the Adaptive Choice Visual Search (ACVS; Irons & Leber, 2018a), a visual search paradigm designed to directly measure attentional control strategy. In two studies, we had participants complete the ACVS and a modified, but similar, task with one altered attentional component (specifically, the requirement to use feature-based attention and enumeration, respectively). We found positive correlations in strategy optimality between tasks that do vs. do not involve feature-based attention (r = .38, p = .0068) and across tasks that do vs. do not require enumeration (r = .33, p = .018). Thus, attentional control strategies did generalize across sufficiently similar tasks, although the strength of the correlations was weaker than the within-task test-retest reliability of strategy measure. These results support the similarity gradient account.

scholarly journals Stable individual differences in strategies within, but not between, visual search tasks

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alasdair D F Clarke ◽  
Jessica Irons ◽  
Warren James ◽  
Andrew B. Leber ◽  
Amelia R. Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Search Performance ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Over Time

A striking range of individual differences has recently been reported in three different visual search tasks. These differences in performance can be attributed to strategy, that is, the efficiency with which participants control their search to complete the task quickly and accurately. Here we ask if an individual's strategy and performance in one search task is correlated with how they perform in the other two. We tested 64 observers in the three tasks mentioned above over two sessions. Even though the test-retest reliability of the tasks is high, an observer's performance and strategy in one task did not reliably predict their behaviour in the other two. These results suggest search strategies are stable over time, but context-specific. To understand visual search we therefore need to account not only for differences between individuals, but also how individuals interact with the search task and context. These context-specific but stable individual differences in strategy can account for a substantial proportion of variability in search performance.

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 Stable individual differences in strategies within, but not between, visual search tasks

2020 ◽  
pp. 174702182092919 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alasdair DF Clarke ◽  
Jessica L Irons ◽  
Warren James ◽  
Andrew B Leber ◽  
Amelia R Hunt
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Task ◽  
The Other ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Context Specific ◽  
Test Retest Reliability ◽  
Over Time

A striking range of individual differences has recently been reported in three different visual search tasks. These differences in performance can be attributed to strategy, that is, the efficiency with which participants control their search to complete the task quickly and accurately. Here, we ask whether an individual’s strategy and performance in one search task is correlated with how they perform in the other two. We tested 64 observers and found that even though the test–retest reliability of the tasks was high, an observer’s performance and strategy in one task was not predictive of their behaviour in the other two. These results suggest search strategies are stable over time, but context-specific. To understand visual search, we therefore need to account not only for differences between individuals but also how individuals interact with the search task and context.

scholarly journals Developing an Individual Profile of Attentional Control Strategy

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica L. Irons ◽  
Andrew B. Leber
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategy ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Optimal Strategy ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Strategy Choice ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Attentional Performance ◽  
Suboptimal Strategies

What makes one person better at controlling attention than the next person? Attempts to answer this question have largely focused on measuring individuals’ cognitive abilities. However, variation in attentional performance can also be due to differences in strategy. Here, we describe research showing that individuals vary dramatically in how they choose to control attention, with many reliably choosing suboptimal strategies. Optimal strategy choice appears to be unrelated to attentional control ability, general cognitive ability, or even strategy choice on other attention tasks. It does, however, correlate with how effortful individuals find the optimal strategy, which suggests that strategy choice may be driven by subjective, task-specific effort demands. These findings represent initial steps toward fully characterizing an individual profile of attentional control strategies.

Taking stock: The role of environmental appraisal in the strategic use of attentional control

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather Hansen ◽  
Jessica Irons ◽  
Andrew B. Leber
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Optimal Strategy ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Secondary Task ◽  
Line Length ◽  
Central Line ◽  
Search Display ◽  
Optimal Choice ◽  
Attentional Control Settings ◽  
Adaptive Choice

There are many strategies we can use to control attention when approaching a visual search task, but some are more effective than others. How do we choose the most optimal strategy? We have proposed that individuals must appraise the stimulus environment, taking in relevant statistical information about task-relevant features. In the present experiment, we examined whether interfering with the appraisal process via a secondary task decreases participants’ use of the optimal strategy. We used a modified version of the Adaptive Choice Visual Search paradigm (Irons & Leber, 2016; 2018), whereby individuals can freely search for either of two targets on every trial. Each search display was preceded by a colored environmental preview, offering participants time to appraise the display and determine which target would be more optimal to search for. On some blocks, participants also completed a secondary task – a central line-length judgment – either before or during this colored preview. We found that participants were significantly less likely to search optimally when the line task occurred during the colored preview than when it occurred beforehand or was absent. Insofar as the secondary task disrupts an individual’s ability to engage in appraisal, these results support the need for such an appraisal mechanism in the optimal choice of attentional control settings.

scholarly journals Developing an individual profile of attentional control strategy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Irons ◽  
Andrew B. Leber
Keyword(s):  
Control Strategy ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Optimal Strategy ◽  
Attentional Control ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Strategy Choice ◽  
General Cognitive Ability ◽  
Attention Tasks ◽  
Attentional Performance ◽  
Suboptimal Strategies

What makes one person better at controlling attention than the next? Attempts to answer this question have largely focused on measuring individuals’ cognitive abilities. However, variation in attentional performance can also be due to differences in strategy. Here we describe research showing that individuals vary dramatically in how they choose to control attention, with many reliably choosing suboptimal strategies. Optimal strategy choice appears to be unrelated to attentional control ability, general cognitive ability, or even strategy choice on other attention tasks. It does, however, correlate with how effortful individuals find the optimal strategy, suggesting strategy choice may be driven by subjective, task-specific effort demands. These findings represent initial steps toward fully characterizing an individual profile of attentional control strategies.

In Search of Experience Effects: How TSA Officers Differ From Undergraduates on Visual Search Tasks

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen R. Mitroff ◽  
Adam T. Biggs ◽  
Matthew S. Cain ◽  
Elise F. Darling ◽  
Kait Clark ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Search ◽  
Search Tasks ◽  
Experience Effects

scholarly journals Evaluation of a home-based 7-day infection control strategy for healthcare workers following high-risk exposure to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): A cohort study

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Carla Benea ◽  
Laura Rendon ◽  
Jesse Papenburg ◽  
Charles Frenette ◽  
Ahmed Imacoudene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Control Strategy ◽  
Healthcare Workers ◽  
Control Strategies ◽  
Risk Exposure ◽  
Nasopharyngeal Swab ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Respiratory Coronavirus ◽  
Second Wave

Abstract Objective: Evidence-based infection control strategies are needed for healthcare workers (HCWs) following high-risk exposure to severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this study, we evaluated the negative predictive value (NPV) of a home-based 7-day infection control strategy. Methods: HCWs advised by their infection control or occupational health officer to self-isolate due to a high-risk SARS-CoV-2 exposure were enrolled between May and October 2020. The strategy consisted of symptom-triggered nasopharyngeal SARS-CoV-2 RNA testing from day 0 to day 7 after exposure and standardized home-based nasopharyngeal swab and saliva testing on day 7. The NPV of this strategy was calculated for (1) clinical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) diagnosis from day 8–14 after exposure, and for (2) asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 detected by standardized nasopharyngeal swab and saliva specimens collected at days 9, 10, and 14 after exposure. Interim results are reported in the context of a second wave threatening this essential workforce. Results: Among 30 HCWs enrolled, the mean age was 31 years (SD, ±9), and 24 (80%) were female. Moreover, 3 were diagnosed with COVID-19 by day 14 after exposure (secondary attack rate, 10.0%), and all cases were detected using the 7-day infection control strategy: the NPV for subsequent clinical COVID-19 or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 detection by day 14 was 100.0% (95% CI, 93.1%–100.0%). Conclusions: Among HCWs with high-risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2, a home-based 7-day infection control strategy may have a high NPV for subsequent COVID-19 and asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 detection. Ongoing data collection and data sharing are needed to improve the precision of the estimated NPV, and here we report interim results to inform infection control strategies in light of a second wave threatening this essential workforce.

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