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Hoekstra C, Martens S, Taatgen NA. Testing the skill-based approach: Consolidation strategy impacts attentional blink performance. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0262350. [PMID: 35061799 PMCID: PMC8782399 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0262350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans can learn simple new tasks very quickly. This ability suggests that people can reuse previously learned procedural knowledge when it applies to a new context. We have proposed a modeling approach based on this idea and used it to create a model of the attentional blink (AB). The main idea of the skill-based approach is that models are not created from scratch but, instead, built up from reusable pieces of procedural knowledge (skills). This approach not only provides an explanation for the fast learning of simple tasks but also shows much promise to improve certain aspects of cognitive modeling (e.g., robustness and generalizability). We performed two experiments, in order to collect empirical support for the model’s prediction that the AB will disappear when the two targets are consolidated as a single chunk. Firstly, we performed an unsuccessful replication of a study reporting that the AB disappears when participants are instructed to remember the targets as a syllable. However, a subsequent experiment using easily combinable stimuli supported the model’s prediction and showed a strongly reduced AB in a large group of participants. This result suggests that it is possible to avoid the AB with the right consolidation strategy. The skill-based approach allowed relating this finding to a general cognitive process, thereby demonstrating that incorporating this approach can be very helpful to generalize the findings of cognitive models, which otherwise tends to be rather difficult.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corné Hoekstra
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Sander Martens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Niels A. Taatgen
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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2
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Hinkelbein J, Kerkhoff S, Adler C, Ahlbäck A, Braunecker S, Burgard D, Cirillo F, De Robertis E, Glaser E, Haidl TK, Hodkinson P, Iovino IZ, Jansen S, Johnson KVL, Jünger S, Komorowski M, Leary M, Mackaill C, Nagrebetsky A, Neuhaus C, Rehnberg L, Romano GM, Russomano T, Schmitz J, Spelten O, Starck C, Thierry S, Velho R, Warnecke T. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) during spaceflight - a guideline for CPR in microgravity from the German Society of Aerospace Medicine (DGLRM) and the European Society of Aerospace Medicine Space Medicine Group (ESAM-SMG). Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med 2020; 28:108. [PMID: 33138865 PMCID: PMC7607644 DOI: 10.1186/s13049-020-00793-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND With the "Artemis"-mission mankind will return to the Moon by 2024. Prolonged periods in space will not only present physical and psychological challenges to the astronauts, but also pose risks concerning the medical treatment capabilities of the crew. So far, no guideline exists for the treatment of severe medical emergencies in microgravity. We, as a international group of researchers related to the field of aerospace medicine and critical care, took on the challenge and developed a an evidence-based guideline for the arguably most severe medical emergency - cardiac arrest. METHODS After the creation of said international group, PICO questions regarding the topic cardiopulmonary resuscitation in microgravity were developed to guide the systematic literature research. Afterwards a precise search strategy was compiled which was then applied to "MEDLINE". Four thousand one hundred sixty-five findings were retrieved and consecutively screened by at least 2 reviewers. This led to 88 original publications that were acquired in full-text version and then critically appraised using the GRADE methodology. Those studies formed to basis for the guideline recommendations that were designed by at least 2 experts on the given field. Afterwards those recommendations were subject to a consensus finding process according to the DELPHI-methodology. RESULTS We recommend a differentiated approach to CPR in microgravity with a division into basic life support (BLS) and advanced life support (ALS) similar to the Earth-based guidelines. In immediate BLS, the chest compression method of choice is the Evetts-Russomano method (ER), whereas in an ALS scenario, with the patient being restrained on the Crew Medical Restraint System, the handstand method (HS) should be applied. Airway management should only be performed if at least two rescuers are present and the patient has been restrained. A supraglottic airway device should be used for airway management where crew members untrained in tracheal intubation (TI) are involved. DISCUSSION CPR in microgravity is feasible and should be applied according to the Earth-based guidelines of the AHA/ERC in relation to fundamental statements, like urgent recognition and action, focus on high-quality chest compressions, compression depth and compression-ventilation ratio. However, the special circumstances presented by microgravity and spaceflight must be considered concerning central points such as rescuer position and methods for the performance of chest compressions, airway management and defibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Hinkelbein
- German Society of Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM), Munich, Germany. .,Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany. .,Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.
| | - Steffen Kerkhoff
- German Society of Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM), Munich, Germany.,Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany.,Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany
| | - Christoph Adler
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Heart Centre of the University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Fire Department City of Cologne, Institute for Security Science and Rescue Technology, Cologne, Germany
| | - Anton Ahlbäck
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Örebro University Hospital, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Stefan Braunecker
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Department of Anesthesiology, University of Florida College of Medicine, Jacksonville, FL, USA
| | - Daniel Burgard
- Department of Cardiology and Angiology, Heart Center Duisburg, Evangelisches Klinikum Niederrhein, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Fabrizio Cirillo
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Santa Maria delle Grazie Hospital, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Edoardo De Robertis
- Division of Anaesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care, Department of Surgical and Biomedical Sciences, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Eckard Glaser
- German Society of Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM), Munich, Germany.,Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,, Gerbrunn, Germany
| | - Theresa K Haidl
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
| | - Pete Hodkinson
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Aerospace Medicine, Centre of Human and Applied Physiological Sciences, King's College, London, UK
| | - Ivan Zefiro Iovino
- Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, Santa Maria delle Grazie Hospital, Pozzuoli, Naples, Italy
| | - Stefanie Jansen
- Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Saskia Jünger
- Cologne Center for Ethics, Rights, Economics, and Social Sciences of Health (CERES), University of Cologne and University Hospital of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Matthieu Komorowski
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Department of Surgery and Cancer, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, Exhibition road, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
| | - Marion Leary
- School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Christina Mackaill
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Accident and Emergency Department, Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland
| | - Alexander Nagrebetsky
- Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
| | - Christopher Neuhaus
- German Society of Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM), Munich, Germany.,Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Department of Anesthesiology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Lucas Rehnberg
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Anaesthetic Department, Southampton, UK
| | | | - Thais Russomano
- Centre of Human and Applied Physiological Sciences, Kings College London, London, UK
| | - Jan Schmitz
- German Society of Aviation and Space Medicine (DGLRM), Munich, Germany.,Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Cologne, 50937, Cologne, Germany.,Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany
| | - Oliver Spelten
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Schön Klinik Düsseldorf, Am Heerdter Krankenhaus 2, 40549, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Clément Starck
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Anesthesiology Department, Brest University Hospital, Brest, France
| | - Seamus Thierry
- Space Medicine Group, European Society of Aerospace Medicine (ESAM), Cologne, Germany.,Anesthesiology Department, Bretagne Sud General Hospital, Lorient, France.,Medical and Maritime Simulation Center, Lorient, France.,Laboratory of Psychology, Cognition, Communication and Behavior, University of Bretagne Sud, Vannes, France
| | - Rochelle Velho
- Academic Department of Anaesthesia, Critical Care, Pain and Resuscitation, University Hospitals Birmingham, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, UK
| | - Tobias Warnecke
- University Department for Anesthesia, Intensive and Emergency Medicine and Pain Management, Hospital Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
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3
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Hoekstra C, Martens S, Taatgen NA. A Skill-Based Approach to Modeling the Attentional Blink. Top Cogn Sci 2020; 12:1030-1045. [PMID: 32677770 PMCID: PMC7496539 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
People can often learn new tasks quickly. This is hard to explain with cognitive models because they either need extensive task‐specific knowledge or a long training session. In this article, we try to solve this by proposing that task knowledge can be decomposed into skills. A skill is a task‐independent set of knowledge that can be reused for different tasks. As a demonstration, we created an attentional blink model from the general skills that we extracted from models of visual attention and working memory. The results suggest that this is a feasible modeling method, which could lead to more generalizable models. People can learn to perform new tasks very quickly by making use of lower‐level skills they have developed when learning previous tasks. Hoekstra, Martens, and Taatgen model this process, showing how a system trained on simple tasks (visual search and two working memory tasks) can then quickly learn to perform the attentional blink task, and it ends up making the same sorts of errors as people do.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corné Hoekstra
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen
| | - Sander Martens
- Department of Biomedical Sciences of Cells and Systems, University Medical Center Groningen/Cognitive Neuroscience Center, University of Groningen
| | - Niels A Taatgen
- Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen
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4
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Access to consciousness of briefly presented visual events is modulated by transcranial direct current stimulation of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10950. [PMID: 31358875 PMCID: PMC6662720 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47527-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adaptive behaviour requires the ability to process goal-relevant events at the expense of irrelevant ones. However, perception of a relevant visual event can transiently preclude access to consciousness of subsequent events — a phenomenon called attentional blink (AB). Here we investigated involvement of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in conscious access, by using transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to potentiate or reduce neural excitability in the context of an AB task. In a sham-controlled experimental design, we applied between groups anodal or cathodal tDCS over the left DLPFC, and examined whether this stimulation modulated the proportion of stimuli that were consciously reported during the AB period. We found that tDCS over the left DLPFC affected the proportion of consciously perceived target stimuli. Moreover, anodal and cathodal tDCS had opposing effects, and exhibited different temporal patterns. Anodal stimulation attenuated the AB, enhancing conscious report earlier in the AB period. Cathodal stimulation accentuated the AB, reducing conscious report later in the AB period. These findings support the notion that the DLPFC plays a role in facilitating information transition from the unconscious to the conscious stage of processing.
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5
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Lagroix HE, Talib G, Di Lollo V, Spalek TM. Questioning the goal-switching account of the AB: comment on Ferlazzo et al. (2007). JOURNAL OF COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2018. [DOI: 10.1080/20445911.2017.1373652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Ghoufran Talib
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Vincent Di Lollo
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Thomas M. Spalek
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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6
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Abstract
If two to-be-identified targets are presented in close temporal succession, identification for the second target is typically impaired. This attentional blink (AB) phenomenon has long been considered as a robust, universal cognitive limitation. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that AB task performance greatly differs between individuals, with some individuals even showing no AB in certain paradigms. Several studies have focused on these individual differences in an attempt to reveal the mechanism underlying the AB, but an overview of this approach is currently missing. Here, by reviewing studies regarding individual differences in AB task performance, we investigate how individual differences have contributed to our understanding of the AB. We show that the individual differences AB literature provides reliable indications that the AB is a multifaceted phenomenon that presumably arises from a combination of factors; individuals with higher levels of executive working memory (WM) functioning and broad attentional focus perform better in the AB paradigm than individuals with lower executive functioning of WM and narrow attentional focus. As it turns out, seeing the bigger picture certainly seems helpful for AB task performance.
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7
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Sdoia S, Ferlazzo F. Change is good: Inter-trial switching of target category improves attentional selection in time. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2016; 164:46-55. [PMID: 26722836 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2015.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2015] [Revised: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/14/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Limitations in the rate at which our attention can sample rapidly presented visual events are reflected in the attentional blink (AB), the inability to successfully report the second of two target stimuli embedded among distractors when separated by a temporal interval of approximately 300 ms. In two experiments we tested for predictions of two accounts of AB that ascribe the phenomenon to a temporary loss of attentional control or to an overzealous application of attentional control over the input filter. Manipulating the control load during the rapid serial presentation of visual events by means of a cued attentional switching procedure, we found an AB improvement when the target category was switched from the previous trial compared to when it was repeated from the previous trial. Findings appear inconsistent with the temporary loss of control account of the AB and support the hypothesis that AB results from an over-investment of attentional control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Sdoia
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - Fabio Ferlazzo
- Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
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8
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Lasaponara S, Dragone A, Lecce F, Di Russo F, Doricchi F. The "serendipitous brain": Low expectancy and timing uncertainty of conscious events improve awareness of unconscious ones (evidence from the Attentional Blink). Cortex 2015; 71:15-33. [PMID: 26142182 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2015.05.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Revised: 01/16/2015] [Accepted: 05/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
To anticipate upcoming sensory events, the brain picks-up and exploits statistical regularities in the sensory environment. However, it is untested whether cumulated predictive knowledge about consciously seen stimuli improves the access to awareness of stimuli that usually go unseen. To explore this issue, we exploited the Attentional Blink (AB) effect, where conscious processing of a first visual target (T1) hinders detection of early following targets (T2). We report that timing uncertainty and low expectancy about the occurrence of consciously seen T2s presented outside the AB period, improve detection of early and otherwise often unseen T2s presented inside the AB. Recording of high-resolution Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and the study of their intracranial sources showed that the brain achieves this improvement by initially amplifying and extending the pre-conscious storage of T2s' traces signalled by the N2 wave originating in the extra-striate cortex. This enhancement in the N2 wave is followed by specific changes in the latency and amplitude of later components in the P3 wave (P3a and P3b), signalling access of the sensory trace to the network of parietal and frontal areas modulating conscious processing. These findings show that the interaction between conscious and unconscious processing changes adaptively as a function of the probabilistic properties of the sensory environment and that the combination of an active attentional state with loose probabilistic and temporal expectancies on forthcoming conscious events favors the emergence to awareness of otherwise unnoticed visual events. This likely provides an insight on the attentional conditions that predispose an active observer to unexpected "serendipitous" findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano Lasaponara
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Alessio Dragone
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Francesca Lecce
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy; Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, UK
| | - Francesco Di Russo
- Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy; Dipartimento di Scienze Motorie, Umane e della Salute, Università "Foro Italico", Roma, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Doricchi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy; Fondazione Santa Lucia IRCCS, Roma, Italy.
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9
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Martens S, Wierda SM, Dun M, de Vries M, Smid HGOM. Musical minds: attentional blink reveals modality-specific restrictions. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118294. [PMID: 25714836 PMCID: PMC4340942 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2014] [Accepted: 01/13/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Formal musical training is known to have positive effects on attentional and executive functioning, processing speed, and working memory. Consequently, one may expect to find differences in the dynamics of temporal attention between musicians and non-musicians. Here we address the question whether that is indeed the case, and whether any beneficial effects of musical training on temporal attention are modality specific or generalize across sensory modalities. Methodology/Principal Findings When two targets are presented in close temporal succession, most people fail to report the second target, a phenomenon known as the attentional blink (AB). We measured and compared AB magnitude for musicians and non-musicians using auditory or visually presented letters and digits. Relative to non-musicians, the auditory AB was both attenuated and delayed in musicians, whereas the visual AB was larger. Non-musicians with a large auditory AB tended to show a large visual AB. However, neither a positive nor negative correlation was found in musicians, suggesting that at least in musicians, attentional restrictions within each modality are completely separate. Conclusion/Significance AB magnitude within one modality can generalize to another modality, but this turns out not to be the case for every individual. Formal musical training seems to have a domain-general, but modality-specific beneficial effect on selective attention. The results fit with the idea that a major source of attentional restriction as reflected in the AB lies in modality-specific, independent sensory systems rather than a central amodal system. The findings demonstrate that individual differences in AB magnitude can provide important information about the modular structure of human cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Martens
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Stefan M. Wierda
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Department of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Mathijs Dun
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Michal de Vries
- Neuroimaging Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Institute of Artificial Intelligence, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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10
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Badcock NA, Kidd JC. Temporal variability predicts the magnitude of between-group attentional blink differences in developmental dyslexia: a meta-analysis. PeerJ 2015; 3:e746. [PMID: 25649715 PMCID: PMC4312065 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2014] [Accepted: 01/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background. Here we report on a meta-analysis of the between-group main effect (Group Difference) noted in the attentional blink (AB) research focused on specific reading impairment, commonly referred to as developmental dyslexia. The AB effect relates to a limitation in the allocation of attention over time and is examined in a dual-target rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) paradigm. When the second target appears in close temporal proximity to the first target, the second target is reported less accurately. Method. A Web of Science search with terms "attentional blink" & dyslexia returned 13 AB experiments (11 papers) conducted with developmental dyslexia. After exclusions, 12 experiments were included in the meta-analysis. The main pattern of performance from those experiments was lower overall accuracy in groups of individuals with dyslexia relative to typically reading peers; that is, a between-group main effect. This meta-analysis examined the size of the Group Difference in relation to temporal and task-set related features, which differed between and within experiments. Results. Random effects modelling indicated a significant Group Difference of -0.74 standard deviation units, 95% CI [-.96, -.52], p < .001 (excluding one anomalous result): implicating significantly poorer overall dual-target performance in dyslexic readers. Meta-regression analyses indicated two variables related to the Group Difference; pre-RSVP time and temporal variability of the second target relative to the first target within the RSVP. Discussion. It is suggested that the endogenous engagement of the temporal features of task-set is slower or disrupted in developmental dyslexia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A. Badcock
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Joanna C. Kidd
- ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia
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11
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Visser TAW. Evidence for deficits in the temporal attention span of poor readers. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91278. [PMID: 24651313 PMCID: PMC3961209 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2013] [Accepted: 02/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Background While poor reading is often associated with phonological deficits, many studies suggest that visual processing might also be impaired. In particular, recent research has indicated that poor readers show impaired spatial visual attention spans in partial and whole report tasks. Given the similarities between competition-based accounts for reduced visual attention span and similar explanations for impairments in sequential object processing, the present work examined whether poor readers show deficits in their “temporal attention span” – that is, their ability to rapidly and accurately process sequences of consecutive target items. Methodology/Principal Findings Poor and normal readers monitored a sequential stream of visual items for two (TT condition) or three (TTT condition) consecutive target digits. Target identification was examined using both unconditional and conditional measures of accuracy in order to gauge the overall likelihood of identifying a target and the likelihood of identifying a target given successful identification of previous items. Compared to normal readers, poor readers showed small but consistent deficits in identification across targets whether unconditional or conditional accuracy was used. Additionally, in the TTT condition, final-target conditional accuracy was poorer than unconditional accuracy, particularly for poor readers, suggesting a substantial cost arising from processing the previous two targets that was not present in normal readers. Conclusions/Significance Mirroring the differences found between poor and normal readers in spatial visual attention span, the present findings suggest two principal differences between the temporal attention spans of poor and normal readers. First, the consistent pattern of reduced performance across targets suggests increased competition amongst items within the same span for poor readers. Second, the steeper decline in final target performance amongst poor readers in the TTT condition suggests a reduction in the extent of their temporal attention span.
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Affiliation(s)
- Troy A. W. Visser
- School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- * E-mail:
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12
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Zylberberg A, Kamienkowski JE, Farall AR, Sigman M. When order matters: last-come first-served effect in sequential arithmetic operations. J Integr Neurosci 2013; 11:385-99. [PMID: 23351048 DOI: 10.1142/s0219635212500252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive psychologists have relied on dual-task interference experiments to understand the low-capacity and serial nature of conscious mental operations. Two widely studied paradigms, the Attentional Blink (AB) and the Psychological Refractory Period (PRP) have demonstrated a first-come first-served policy; processing a stimulus either impedes conscious access (AB) or postpones treatment (PRP) of a concurrent stimulus. Here we explored the transition from dual-task paradigms to multi-step human cognition. We studied the relative weight of individual addends in a sequential arithmetic task, where number notation (symbolic/non-symbolic) and presentation speed were independently manipulated. For slow presentation and symbolic notation, the decision relied almost equally on all addends, whereas for fast or non-symbolic notation, the decision relied almost exclusively on the last item reflecting a last-come first-served policy. We suggest that streams of stimuli may be chunked in events in which the last stimuli may override previous items from sensory buffers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ariel Zylberberg
- Laboratory of Integrative Neuroscience, Physics Department, FCEyN UBA and IFIBA, Conicet, Pabellón 1, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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13
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Qian W, Meng Q, Chen L, Zhou K. Emotional modulation of the attentional blink is awareness-dependent. PLoS One 2012; 7:e46394. [PMID: 23029507 PMCID: PMC3459896 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0046394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2012] [Accepted: 08/31/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
It is well known that emotion can modulate attentional processes. Previous studies have shown that even under restricted awareness, emotional facial expressions (especially threat-related) can guide the direction of spatial attention. However, it remains unclear whether emotional facial expressions under restricted awareness can affect temporal attention. To address this issue, we used a modified attentional blink (AB) paradigm in which masked (Experiment 1) or unmasked (Experiment 2) emotional faces (fearful or neutral) were presented before the AB sequence. We found that, in comparison with neutral faces, masked fearful faces significantly decreased the AB magnitude (Experiment 1), whereas unmasked fearful faces significantly increased the AB magnitude (Experiment 2). These results indicate that effects of emotional expression on the AB are modulated by the level of awareness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenli Qian
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- Laboratory of Primate Cognitive Neuroscience, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Qianli Meng
- Laboratory of Primate Cognitive Neuroscience, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, People's Republic of China
| | - Lin Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- * E-mail: (LC); (KZ)
| | - Ke Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People's Republic of China
- * E-mail: (LC); (KZ)
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A conceptual and methodological framework for measuring and modulating the attentional blink. Atten Percept Psychophys 2012; 74:1080-97. [DOI: 10.3758/s13414-012-0338-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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15
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Müsch K, Engel AK, Schneider TR. On the blink: the importance of target-distractor similarity in eliciting an attentional blink with faces. PLoS One 2012; 7:e41257. [PMID: 22815982 PMCID: PMC3399797 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0041257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2011] [Accepted: 06/22/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Temporal allocation of attention is often investigated with a paradigm in which two relevant target items are presented in a rapid sequence of irrelevant distractors. The term Attentional Blink (AB) denotes a transient impairment of awareness for the second of these two target items when presented close in time. Experimental studies reported that the AB is reduced when the second target is emotionally significant, suggesting a modulation of attention allocation. The aim of the present study was to systematically investigate the influence of target-distractor similarity on AB magnitude for faces with emotional expressions under conditions of limited attention in a series of six rapid serial visual presentation experiments. The task on the first target was either to discriminate the gender of a neutral face (Experiments 1, 3–6) or an indoor/outdoor visual scene (Experiment 2). The task on the second target required either the detection of emotional expressions (Experiments 1–5) or the detection of a face (Experiment 6). The AB was minimal or absent when targets could be easily discriminated from each other. Three successive experiments revealed that insufficient masking and target-distractor similarity could account for the observed immunity of faces against the AB in the first two experiments. An AB was present but not increased when the facial expression was irrelevant to the task suggesting that target-distractor similarity plays a more important role in eliciting an AB than the attentional set demanded by the specific task. In line with previous work, emotional faces were less affected by the AB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Müsch
- Department of Neurophysiology and Pathophysiology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
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Sdoia S, Ferlazzo F. An inhibition effect in the temporal constrains of attentional selection: the Backward Blink. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2012; 139:501-6. [PMID: 22365900 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2012.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2011] [Revised: 01/13/2012] [Accepted: 01/18/2012] [Indexed: 10/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The study aims at investigating the dynamics of visual information processing during sequential control of attentional selection. By combining two different traditional paradigms we show for the first time that during rapid selection of visual targets, encoding of a new target stimulus is facilitated by suppression of the preceding relevant stimulus category (Backward Blink; BB). Such inhibition would operate to reduce interference from previously stored information, in order to facilitate the instantiation of a new attentional episode. Results suggest that the same underlying inhibitory mechanism might contribute to two different attentional effects, specifically, the switch cost and the Attentional Blink, suggesting a general inhibitory mechanism of attentional control, with broad implications for understanding how the brain perceives any task-relevant stimulus.
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Brockmole JR, Davoli CC, Cronin DA. The Visual World in Sight and Mind. PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MOTIVATION 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-394293-7.00003-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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18
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Maclean MH, Arnell KM. Greater attentional blink magnitude is associated with higher levels of anticipatory attention as measured by alpha event-related desynchronization (ERD). Brain Res 2011; 1387:99-107. [PMID: 21362413 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2011.02.069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2010] [Revised: 01/28/2011] [Accepted: 02/19/2011] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Accuracy for a second target (T2) is reduced when it is presented within 500 ms of a first target (T1) in a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP)-an attentional blink (AB). Reducing the amount of attentional investment with an additional task or instructing the use of a more relaxed cognitive approach has been found to reduce the magnitude of the AB. As well, personality and affective traits, as well as affective states, associated with a more diffused or flexible cognitive approach have been found to predict smaller AB magnitudes. In the current study, event-related desynchronization in the alpha range was used to investigate whether the degree of attentional investment in anticipation of a RSVP trial was related to the behavioral outcome of that trial. As hypothesized, greater alpha ERD before the RSVP trial, indicating greater anticipatory attentional investment, was observed on short lag trials where an AB was present (inaccurate T2 performance) compared to short lag trials where an AB did not occur. However, on trials where T2 was presented after a longer period relative to T1, greater alpha ERD before the RSVP trial was found on trials with accurate T2 performance. Results support models of the AB that propose that greater attentional investment underlies the AB, and furthermore that this attentional investment is prepared in anticipation before each RSVP trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary H Maclean
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, ON, Canada L2S 3A1
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19
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Abstract
Background When a second target (T2) is presented in close succession of a first target (T1), people often fail to identify T2, a phenomenon known as the attentional blink (AB). However, the AB can be reduced substantially when participants are distracted during the task, for instance by a concurrent task, without a cost for T1 performance. The goal of the current study was to investigate the electrophysiological correlates of this paradoxical effect. Methodology/Principal Findings Participants successively performed three tasks, while EEG was recorded. The first task (standard AB) consisted of identifying two target letters in a sequential stream of distractor digits. The second task (grey dots task) was similar to the first task with the addition of an irrelevant grey dot moving in the periphery, concurrent with the central stimulus stream. The third task (red dot task) was similar to the second task, except that detection of an occasional brief color change in the moving grey dot was required. AB magnitude in the latter task was significantly smaller, whereas behavioral performance in the standard and grey dots tasks did not differ. Using mixed effects models, electrophysiological activity was compared during trials in the grey dots and red dot tasks that differed in task instruction but not in perceptual input. In the red dot task, both target-related parietal brain activity associated with working memory updating (P3) as well as distractor-related occipital activity was significantly reduced. Conclusions/Significance The results support the idea that the AB might (at least partly) arise from an overinvestment of attentional resources or an overexertion of attentional control, which is reduced when a distracting secondary task is carried out. The present findings bring us a step closer in understanding why and how an AB occurs, and how these temporal restrictions in selective attention can be overcome.
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Martens S, Wyble B. The attentional blink: past, present, and future of a blind spot in perceptual awareness. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2009; 34:947-57. [PMID: 20025902 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2009.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2009] [Revised: 12/08/2009] [Accepted: 12/08/2009] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
A survey of the attention literature reveals the prominence of the attentional blink (AB)--a deficit in reporting the second of two targets when presented in close temporal succession. For two decades, this robust attentional phenomenon has been a major topic in attention research because it is informative about the rate at which stimuli can be encoded into consciously accessible representations. The pace of discovery and theoretical advancement concerning the AB has increased rapidly in the past few years with emphasis on new neurophysiological evidence and computational accounts of attentional processes. In this review we extract the central questions and the main lessons learnt from the past, and subsequently provide important directions for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Martens
- Neuroimaging Center, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 196, 9700 AD, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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When similarity leads to sparing: probing mechanisms underlying the attentional blink. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2008; 73:327-35. [DOI: 10.1007/s00426-008-0155-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2008] [Accepted: 06/16/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Ferlazzo F, Fagioli S, Sdoia S, Di Nocera F. Goal-completion processes affect the attentional blink. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/09541440701568763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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