Attention

Question 1

Why can attention be characterized as a selective processing?

Answer 1

Choosing to focus on a source of information is using cognitive resources for that specific source of information at the expense of other sources of information = division of attended and unattended information.

Question 2

In the unattended channel of attention, what kind of information can pass?

Answer 2

Only salient information (e.g., someone calling your name at a party).

Question 3

Endogenous attention is a ____ process, whereas exogenous attention is a ____ process.

Words to place:

• bottom-up
• top-down

Answer 3

Endogenous attention is a top-down process, whereas exogenous attention is a bottom-up process.

Question 4

What type of attention is the fastest to be activated between endogenous and exogenous attentions?

Answer 4

Exogenous.

Question 5

Inhibition of return is associated to endogenous or exogenous attention? What type of attention always requires executive control?

Answer 5

Exogenous.

Endogenous.

Question 6

What is the difference between overt and covert attention?

Answer 6

In overt attention, head and eyes are oriented toward attended information source. In covert attention, head and eyes are not oriented toward the information source.

Question 7

What does measure eye-tracking devices?

Answer 7

Saccades and fixations.

Question 8

Define supramodal attention.

Answer 8

Attended stimuli in one modality recruits the attention of another modality.

Question 9

True or false: there is a strong overlap between circuits that control attention and neural circuits that govern head and eye movements.

Answer 9

True.

Question 10

What are the three main structures/areas controlling attention?

Answer 10

• Inferior parietal lobe
• Frontal eye fields
• Superior colliculi

Question 11

True or false: there is no dominance of the right or the left hemisphere over the other.

Answer 11

False: right hemisphere dominating. Shown with hemispatial neglect.

Question 12

Hemispatial neglect syndrome arises from damage to what brain area?

Answer 12

Right parietal lobe (impairing left visual field).

Question 13

True or false: salient information can be processed in the left visual field of patient suffering from hemispatial neglect.

Answer 13

True.

Question 14

What is the principal function of FEF?

Answer 14

Generate saccadic eye movements to spatial locations in the visual field that warrant attention.

Question 15

What task could be impaired by a lesion to the FEF?

Answer 15

Task switching/ignoring irrelevant info.

Question 16

To what structure is linked the Sprague effect? What is it?

Answer 16

To the superior colliculi. Sprague effect: lesion to left superior colliculus (information processed contralaterally at this level) can compensate the attention loss in the left visual field (caused by hemispatial neflect) by reducing visuospatial input from right visual field -> attentional thresholds of the left and right visual fields are closer to one another.

Question 17

In the attentional control network, what are the two structures responsible for endogenous attention? The two structures responsible for exogenous attention?

Answer 17

Endogenous:

• Fontal parietal aera
• FEF

Exogenous:

• Ventrolateral frontal cortex
• Temporal parietal junction

Question 18

Balint syndrome arises from damage to what brain areas? What impairment does it cause?

Answer 18

Dorsal posterior parietal and lateral occipital cortices.
No more than one stimulus can be attended at the same time, even if stimuli are in the same modality and regardless of their distance.

Question 19

True or false: balint syndrome is a spatial impairment of attention.

Answer 19

False.

Question 20

Is saliency a property of brain networks or of external stimuli?

Answer 20

Property of external stimuli.

Question 21

Name five factors that can determine saliency.

Answer 21

• Goals directed factor
• Emotional factor
• Motivational components
• Physical attributes
• Novelty factor