Attention 4

Question 1

Load Theory Part 2

Answer 1

• Perceptual load reduces distraction

Question 2

Effects of Cognitive Load

Answer 2

• Response competition flanker task
• Participants asked toremember digitsduring each trial.
• Either low cognitive load (1 digit)…
…or high cognitive load(6 digits)
• Distractor interference increased under high cognitive
load

Question 3

Attentional capture and Cognitive Load

Answer 3

• Same effects found with different distractor task:

• Cognitive load increases interference from
colour singleton distractor

Question 4

Cognitive Load and awareness

Answer 4

• Perceptual load reduces distractor processing and
increases inattentional blindness
• Cognitive load increases distractor processing

Question 5

Individual differences in working memory capacity

Answer 5

Operation Span (OSPAN) task: • Simultaneously perform simple maths and read words
• Test recall of words
• OSPAN related to fluid intelligence
• Argued to assess efficiency of prefrontal functioning
• Individuals with low WM
capacity show increased: – Stroop interference. – Response competition
interference – “Own name break- through” in dichotic
listening

Question 6

Neural mechanisms of attentional control

Answer 6

• Attention modulates neural activation related to
perception
• Which brain regions are involved in cognitive control of
attention?

Question 7

fMRI spatial cuing studies

Answer 7

• Visual cortical response to cued location: Effect of
attention
• Frontal-parietal activation at time of cue:
Mechanisms orienting attention

Question 8

fMRI Attentional Capture

Answer 8

• Singleton distractors present or
absent
• Presence vs absence associated with: – Reaction time interference – Frontal and parietal activation

Question 9

fMRI response competition

Answer 9

• Reaction time interference

* Frontal recruitment: – Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) – Anterior Cingulate Cortex (ACC)

Question 10

Mind-wandering and external attention

Answer 10

Mind-wandering positively relates to external task irrelevant distraction:
• As well as to failures of sustained attention• Some frontal regions involved
in both: – Attentional control – Generating task-unrelated
thought
• Challenge for studying
attentional control of mind- wandering