The role of flicker and abrupt displacement in attention capture by motion onsets

Signals for reward or punishment attract attention preferentially, a principle termed value-modulated attention capture (VMAC). The mechanisms that govern the allocation of attention can be described with a terminology that is more often applied to the control of overt behaviors, namely, the distinction between instrumental and Pavlovian control, and between model-free and model-based control. Although instrumental control of VMAC can be either model-free or model-based, it is not known whether Pavlovian control of VMAC can be model-based. To decide whether this is possible, we measured steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) while 20 healthy adults took part in a novel task. During the learning stage, participants underwent aversive threat conditioning with two conditioned stimuli (CSs): one that predicted pain (CS+) and one that predicted safety (CS−). Instructions given before the test stage allowed participants to infer whether novel, ambiguous CSs (new_CS+/new_CS−) were threatening or safe. Correct inference required combining stored internal representations and new propositional information, the hallmark of model-based control. SSVEP amplitudes quantified the amount of attention allocated to novel CSs on their very first presentation, before they were ever reinforced. We found that SSVEPs were higher for new_CS+ than new_CS−. This result is potentially indicative of model-based Pavlovian control of VMAC, but additional controls are necessary to verify this conclusively. This result underlines the potential transformative role of information and inference in emotion regulation.

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The functional neuro-anatomy of the human response to fear: A brief review

South African Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v17i1.270 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 6

Author(s):

A Del Casale ◽

S Ferracuti ◽

G D Kotzalidis ◽

C Rapinesi ◽

D Serata ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Emotional Response ◽

Functional Neuroimaging ◽

Living Environment ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Fear Learning ◽

Imaging Studies ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Future Improvement ◽

Neuroimaging Techniques

The perception of fear and subsequent appropriate behavioral responding are crucial for the adaptation of species to their living environment. Functional neuroimaging studies of the neural basis of fear during the last few decades in humans contributed to significant advancement in the understanding of its mechanisms. Imaging studies help us delineating the role of amygdala-based neurocircuitry in fear activation and attention capture. The aim of this paper was to briefly review the most recent functional neuroimaging studies of fear perception, modulation and learning. Important knowledge was acquired about the factors that set fear in motion, including the role of nonconscious processes and the character of fear in guiding attention. A subcortical network interacts with the prefrontal cortex to modulate emotional response that allows better coping with environmental and social circumstances. Fear learning reduces the need to relearn about danger, and flexibility processes readjust fear behavior when external circumstances change. Future improvement of functional and other neuroimaging techniques may promote better clarification of the neurocircuitry involved in fear perception, learning and modulation.

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Model-based Pavlovian control of attention to threat

10.1101/288027 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

D Talmi ◽

M Slapkova ◽

MJ Wieser

Keyword(s):

Task Design ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Learning Stage ◽

Internal Representations ◽

Model Based Control ◽

Model Based ◽

Model Free ◽

Role Of Information ◽

Instrumental Control

AbstractSignals for reward or punishment attract attention preferentially, a principle termed ‘value-modulated attention capture’ (VMAC). The mechanisms that govern the allocation of attention resources can be productively described with a terminology that is more often applied to the control of overt behaviours, namely, the distinction between instrumental and Pavlovian control, and between model-free and model-based control. While instrumental control of VMAC can be either model-free or model-based, it is not known whether Pavlovian control of VMAC can be model-based. To decide whether this is possible we measured Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEPs) while 20 healthy adults took part in a novel task. During the learning stage participants underwent aversive threat conditioning with two CSs, one that predicted pain (CS+) and one that predicted safety (CS-). Instructions given prior to the test stage in the task allowed participants to infer whether novel, ambiguous CSs (new CS+/ new CS-) were threatening or safe. Correct inference required combining stored internal representations and new propositional information, the hallmark of model-based control. SSVEP amplitudes quantified the amount of attention allocated to novel CSs on their very first presentation, before they were ever reinforced. We found that SSVEPs were higher for new CS+ than new CS-. Because task design precluded model-free or instrumental control this result demonstrates a model-based Pavlovian control of VMAC. It confirms, in the domain of internal resource allocation, the model-based Pavlovian control of incentive behaviour and underlines the potential transformative role of information as an emotion regulation technique.

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Automatic Attention Capture by Threatening, But Not by Semantically Incongruent Natural Scene Images

Cerebral Cortex ◽

10.1093/cercor/bhaa040 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 30 (7) ◽

pp. 4158-4168 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Marcin Furtak ◽

Łucja Doradzińska ◽

Alina Ptashynska ◽

Liad Mudrik ◽

Anna Nowicka ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Capture ◽

Visual Objects ◽

Probe Task ◽

Irrelevant Distractors ◽

Low Probability ◽

Automatic Attention ◽

Task Irrelevant ◽

Automatic Capture ◽

Primary Measure

Abstract Visual objects are typically perceived as parts of an entire visual scene, and the scene’s context provides information crucial in the object recognition process. Fundamental insights into the mechanisms of context-object integration have come from research on semantically incongruent objects, which are defined as objects with a very low probability of occurring in a given context. However, the role of attention in processing of the context-object mismatch remains unclear, with some studies providing evidence in favor, but other against an automatic capture of attention by incongruent objects. Therefore, in the present study, 25 subjects completed a dot-probe task, in which pairs of scenes—congruent and incongruent or neutral and threatening—were presented as task-irrelevant distractors. Importantly, threatening scenes are known to robustly capture attention and thus were included in the present study to provide a context for interpretation of results regarding incongruent scenes. Using N2 posterior-contralateral ERP component as a primary measure, we revealed that threatening images indeed capture attention automatically and rapidly, but semantically incongruent scenes do not benefit from an automatic attentional selection. Thus, our results suggest that identification of the context-object mismatch is not preattentive.

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Attentional Functions of the Superior Colliculus

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199675111.013.014 ◽

2014 ◽

Author(s):

Richard J. Krauzlis

Keyword(s):

Superior Colliculus ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Visual Signals ◽

Covert Attention ◽

Central Component ◽

Motor Pathways ◽

Electrical Microstimulation ◽

Priority Map ◽

Selection Of

The superior colliculus (SC) plays an important role in both overt and covert attention. In primates, the SC is well known to be a central component of the motor pathways that orient the eyes and head to important objects in the environment. Accordingly, neurons in the SC show enhanced responses that will be the target of orienting movements, compared to stimuli that will be ignored. Single-neuron recordings in the SC have revealed a variety of attention-related effects, including changes in activity related to bottom-up and top-down attention, attention capture, and inhibition of return. These findings support the view of the SC as a priority map that represents the location of important objects in the visual environment. Manipulation of SC activity by electrical microstimulation and chemical inactivation shows that the SC is not simply a recipient of attention-related effects, but plays a causal role in these processes. In particular, activity in the SC plays a major role in the selection of targets for saccades, and also for pursuit eye movements and movements of the hand. Moreover, activity in the SC is important not only for the control of overt attention, but also plays a crucial role in covert attention—the processing of visual signals for perceptual judgements even in the absence of orienting movements. The mechanisms mediating the role of the SC in the control of covert attention are not yet known, but current models emphasize interactions between the SC and areas of the cerebral cortex.

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Inhibition of Return after Color Singletons

Journal of Eye Movement Research ◽

10.16910/jemr.5.5.2 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 5 (5) ◽

Author(s):

Heinz-Werner Priess ◽

Sabine Born ◽

Ulrich Ansorge

Keyword(s):

Inhibition Of Return ◽

Alternative Explanation ◽

Attention Capture ◽

Color Singleton ◽

Attention Shift ◽

Shift Experiment ◽

Irrelevant Color ◽

Selection Of ◽

Sensitive Method

Inhibition of return (IOR) is the faster selection of hitherto unattended than previously attended positions. Some previous studies failed to find evidence for IOR after attention capture by color singletons. Others, however, did report IOR effects after color singletons. The current study examines the role of cue relevance for obtaining IOR effects. By using a potentially more sensitive method – saccadic IOR – we tested and found IOR after relevant color singleton cues that required an attention shift (Experiment 1). In contrast, irrelevant color singletons failed to produce reliable IOR effects in Experiment 2. Also, Experiment 2 rules out an alternative explanation of our IOR findings in terms of masking. We discuss our results in light of pertaining theories of IOR.

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