Orienting Attention

Control of Attention Major Distinctions: VoluntaryReflexive

Control of Attention Major Distinctions: VoluntaryReflexive Overt Covert

Voluntary Orienting shifting attention by willfully selecting a location in space (or a frequency of sound) e.g. eye movements in a scene depend on what the observer is looking for Eye movements (overt orienting)

Voluntary Orienting Attention can be oriented covertly – a commonly used metaphor is “the spotlight of attention”

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: Subject presses a button as soon as x appears

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: X

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: That was a validly cued trial because the x appeared in the box that flashed

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: X

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm:

Orienting Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: That was an invalidly cued trial because the x appeared in the box that didn’t flash

Paradigms Used To Study Attention Posner Cue - Target Paradigm: Attention Effect = Valid RT - Invalid RT

Voluntary Orienting Under what circumstances would a cue lead to a voluntary shift of attention?

Voluntary Orienting Under what circumstances would a cue lead to a voluntary shift of attention? – Informative cue – Validity = greater than 50%

Voluntary Orienting Under what circumstances would a cue lead to a voluntary shift of attention? – Informative cue – Validity = greater than 50% What is another way to make this paradigm a voluntary orienting paradigm?

Voluntary Orienting What is another way to make this paradigm a voluntary orienting paradigm? Symbolic cues may orient attention towards another location. Stimulus cues orient attention to the stimulated location. Symbolic Cue

Reflexive Orienting Attention can be automatically “summoned” to a location at which an important event has occurred:

Reflexive Orienting Attention can be automatically “summoned” to a location at which an important event has occurred: – Loud noise – Motion – New Object We call this attentional capture Transients

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting … in what way?

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it asses only reflexive orienting?

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it asses only reflexive orienting? Make validity 50% (non-informative cue)

Reflexive Orienting The Posner cueing paradigm (with blinking boxes) confounds reflexive and voluntary orienting How could we change the Posner cueing paradigm to make it asses only reflexive orienting? Make validity 50% (non-informative cue) Viewers are still faster and more accurate!

Reflexive Orienting Can symbolic cues be reflexive? Almost never but …

Reflexive Orienting Can symbolic cues be reflexive? Reflexive orienting to direction of eye gaze

Reflexive Orienting Potential cues for Reflexive Orienting – Loud noise – Motion – New Object New Objects are powerful attention grabbers! Transients

New Objects Capture Attention IS THERE AN “H”? Initial scene viewed for several hundred ms Yantis & Jonides (1990): New-Object Paradigm

New Objects Capture Attention New scene: search for target letter IS THERE AN “H”? Yantis & Jonides (1990): New-Object Paradigm H may be revealed from an 8 or may appear as a new object

Reflexive Orienting Steven Yantis and colleagues – Result:

Reflexive Orienting Steven Yantis and colleagues – Result: Targets are found faster when they are “new objects” than when they are revealed from “old” objects

Reflexive Orienting Steven Yantis and colleagues – Interpretation: The visual system prioritizes in dealing with visual objects - relatively recent objects are “flagged” while older objects are disregarded

Attention and Consciousness Sensory information must be attended for it to be entered into awareness

Attention and Consciousness The attention orienting mechanism can be confused leading to something called “change blindness”

Attention and Consciousness The attention orienting mechanism can be confused leading to something called “change blindness”

Attention and Consciousness The attention orienting mechanism can be confused leading to something called “change blindness”

Attention and Consciousness Change blindness – Change blindness shows us that the feeling of being in a detailed visual environment is really just an illusion – We only have access to the parts of the scene to which we have attended

Attention and Consciousness Change blindness – Change blindness shows us that the feeling of being in a detailed visual environment is really just an illusion – We only have access to the parts of the scene to which we have attended – And that is often not very much!