People can observe scenes and then concentrate on organisms, self, objects, features, times, or locations {attention}|. Attention is on whole-object center, not just to initial cue or feature. Attention can focus on objects of different sizes and at different distances, so size and distance do not matter. Attending reduces noticing other organisms, objects, features, times, and locations. Attention filters, amplifies, or suppresses data.
processes
To guide attention, mind uses hypotheses about scene or object to test if distinctive properties are at distinctive locations. General search method does not guide attention. Attention uses image spatial coordinates to move to locations. Body, head, eyes, and attention window move to focus on stimulus location. Minds shift visual attention to new object before saccadic eye movement [Culham et al., 1998] [Posner and Gilbert, 1999] [Umiltà and Moscovitch, 1994].
processes: selection
Attention can affect early information processing {early selection} and not cause later perception. Attention can affect responses, memory, or high-level information processing and not prevent later perception {late selection}. Attentional load studies indicate that attention affects early selection.
processes: figure
Attention selects figure from ground.
purposes
Attention to object allows quicker reaction, smaller stimulation, more accuracy, and better recall.
properties: attention to painting
In perspective painting, observer attention typically moves along eye-level line.
properties: distance
Attention does not decrease or increase perceived distance.
properties: EEG
Attention to object, to recognize it or use it, causes 40-Hz EEG oscillation.
properties: extinction
If stimulus is present in one visual field, it can prevent attention to later stimulus in other visual field, especially if the stimuli have similar positions.
properties: information
Minds track object parts with highest information and strongest features, which are often along outer contour.
properties: intensity
Attention does not increase stimulus intensity.
properties: time
Attention can turn off but only for short time.
causes: texture discrimination
Texture discrimination precedes attention and looks for visual-field texton-kind and density changes, in parallel. If elongated blobs are the same because blob terminators total same number, texture is the same. If texton changes, mind calls attention processes.
causes: pain
Pain causes attention to object and causes motivation and response to push object farther away and/or stop pain. Attention, anxiety, and prior experience influence pain. Pain makes other goals seem unimportant.
causes: pleasure
Pleasure causes attention to object.
factors: classifying
The categorizing process begins before attention and continues independently after attention.
factors: consciousness
Animals with consciousness can attend to something only if they are aware of it already. Attention can be faster than consciousness. Attention can distract before consciousness. Consciousness can be selective attention. Brain regions for attention, shape, planning, and goals are for sensory consciousness [Chalmers, 2000] [Ffytche, 2000] [Kanwisher, 2001] [Lumer, 2000] [Lumer et al., 1998].
factors: dreaming
In dreams, attention easily distracts, and people cannot consciously attend.
factors: emotion
Attention is before emotions associated with events.
factors: hypnosis
Hypnosis typically restricts attention to small field.
factors: learning
Rewards and punishments determine attention to features and objects, so learning affects attention.
factors: meditation
Concentrative meditation pays attention to one object or event, such as breathing or mantra.
factors: memory
Memories are weak if attention is weak. More attention strengthens declarative memory encoding, because more conscious processing makes more cues for retrieval. Animals with consciousness must pay attention to remember declarative facts. Animals with no consciousness can orient but cannot attend or use declarative memory. Making iconic memory requires attention. Attention to sensory memory causes automatic entry into verbal short-term memory. Attention is part of working memory, or working memory holds attended conscious content, and vice versa.
factors: near-death experience
Near-death experiences have focused attention.
factors: perception
Attention precedes perception and so is apperceptive.
factors: recognition
Recognizing object requires attention.
factors: sensation
Attention requires sensation and does not require awareness.
factors: sleep
Little sleep causes attention loss.
factors: will
Animals with consciousness must pay attention to take voluntary action. Animals with no consciousness can orient but cannot attend or perform voluntary actions.
effects
Attention can enhance all processing related to object attended.
effects: association
Attention to two object features associates their features. Attention can associate two features by placing them in same spatial location [Treisman and Gelade, 1980].
effects: orientation followup
The orienting response precedes slower process that gathers information about time, place, and person to recognize object {orientation followup}.
effects: orientation response
Response to new stimulus directs attention to spatial location {orientation response, attention}, probably before consciousness starts.
effects: binding
Attention can be necessary for binding. However, binding can happen for non-conscious information processing with no attention. Adjacent-object properties can bind to half-attended objects.
effects: response enhancement
Perhaps, attention to stimulus increases response of neuron that receives stimulus input.
effects: sharper tuning
Perhaps, attention to stimulus decreases stimulus range to which neuron responds.
effects: structural model
Attention selects one information channel, which has maximum serial information-flow rate.
biology: animals
All mammals have attention.
biology: excitation
Attention excites affected neurons temporarily [Chelazzi et al., 1993] [Crick and Koch, 1990] [Desimone and Duncan, 1995] [Kastner et al., 1998] [Lee et al., 1999] [Luck et al., 1997] [Miller et al., 1993] [Moran and Desimone, 1985] [Reynolds et al., 1999] [Reynolds and Desimone, 1999] [Rolls et al., 2003] [Rolls and Tovee, 1995] [Treue and Maunsell, 1996].
biology: neuron
Attention reduces neural responses in unattended cortex and increases neural responses and synchronous firing in attended cortex.
biology: development
At 6 to 7 years, ability to sustain attention increases greatly, in all cultures.
biology: drug
Drugs, such as modafinil, can provide atypical attention states [Atkinson and Shiffrin, 1968] [Atkinson et al., 1999] [Atkinson et al., 2000] [Farthing, 1992] [Hobson, 1999] [Metzner, 1971] [Spence and Spence, 1968] [Tart, 1972] [Tart, 1975].
biology: synchrony
Awake brain has synchrony, which increases with attention and preparation for motor acts.
biology: fruitfly
In fruitfly, attention affects specific neurons [Heisenberg and Wolf, 1984] [Tang and Guo, 2001] [van Swinderen and Greenspan, 2003].
brain
Attention involves anterior attention network, cingulate nucleus, frontal lobe attentional network, hypothalamus, inferotemporal region, lateral pulvinar nucleus, lateral reticular system, locus coeruleus, orbito-frontal lobe, pons, posterior parietal lobe, prefrontal lobe, reticular formation, spatial attention system, superior colliculus, tectopulvinar pathway, tegmentum, thalamus, and ventral temporal lobe.
brain: anterior cingulate
Consciousness reduces anterior-cingulate-gyrus activity {anterior cingulate, attention} [Chalmers, 2000] [Ffytche, 2000] [Kanwisher, 2001] [Lumer, 2000] [Lumer et al., 1998].
brain: frontal lobe
Consciousness increases right-frontal-lobe attention-center activity [Chalmers, 2000] [Ffytche, 2000] [Huerta et al., 1986] [Kanwisher, 2001] [Lumer, 2000] [Lumer et al., 1998] [Schall, 1997].
brain: parietal lobe
Attention affects posterior parietal lobe [Bisley and Goldberg, 2003] [Colby and Goldberg, 1999] [Gottlieb et al., 1998].
brain: PIP
PIP controls attention [Chalmers, 2000] [Ffytche, 2000] [Kanwisher, 2001] [Lumer, 2000] [Lumer et al., 1998].
brain: prefrontal cortex
Focal attention originates in prefrontal cortex and can affect thalamus or sense-cortex areas [Boff et al., 1986] [Braun, 1994] [Braun, 2003] [Braun and Julesz, 1998] [Braun and Sagi, 1990] [de Fockert et al., 2001] [Lennie, 2003] [Li et al., 2002] [Reddy et al., 2004] [Rousselet et al., 2002] [Sperling and Dosher, 1986] [Strayer and Johnston, 2001] [Tsotsos, 1990] [Ullman, 1984].
brain: V1 region
Attention affects area V1 [Brefczynski and DeYoe, 1999] [Fries et al., 2001] [Gandhi et al., 1999] [Ito and Gilbert, 1999] [Ito et al., 1995] [Kastner and Ungerleider, 2000] [Motter, 1993] [Niebur and Koch, 1994] [Niebur et al., 1993] [Niebur et al., 2002] [Noesselt et al., 2002] [O'Connor et al., 2002] [Posner and Gilbert, 1999] [Roelfsema et al., 1998] [Somers et al., 1999] [Watanabe et al., 1998].
Social Sciences>Psychology>Cognition>Attention
6-Psychology-Cognition-Attention
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Date Modified: 2022.0224