Attention and Cognitive Control Flashcards
What is cognitive control?
Controlling aspects associated with cognition:
memory, inhibition, conflict resolution, proactive/reactive control
Inhibition definition
Blocking processes
Conflict resolution definition
Prioritising a process
Proactive control
Setting a strategy in advance
Reactive control
Responding to events as they happen
Cognitive load
Cognitive load increases distractors
Cognitive control is required to inhibit distractors that make it to late selection
Lavie et al - response competition flanker task
Ppts asked to remember digits during each trial
low cog load - 1 digit
high cog load - 6 digits
Results: distractor interference increased under high cognitive load
Manipulating perceptual load as well - high load - less interference
Same effects found on singleton attentional capture task - cognitive load increases distraction from colour singleton
Carmel et al 2012 - does it reduce inattention blindness?
Task: classify names, ignore faces
surprise memory test
Low load: chance level accuracy 50% - good at ignoring faces
High load: high accuracy, 80%, can’t focus on just one thing
Individual differences - operation span task
Perform simple maths and read out words at the same time
Test recall of words, ospan related to fluid intelligence
Individuals with low WM showed increased:
stroop interference
response competition interferance
own name breakthrough in dichotic listening - high WM = 20%, low WM = 65% - hearing name is a failure of attention
Neural mechanisms of attention
FMRI spatial cueing - when giving cues, greater visual Cortex response, frontal/parietal activation
Attentional capture - when there is a singleton, frontal and parietal activated. frontal activated negatively predicted behaviour interferance
Response competition task - incongruent distractors = more frontal activation (DLPFC + ACC) - high in anxiety had less activation here and higher behavioural intererance
Sustained attention - DLPFC and ACC activated during sustained attention
Is distraction internal or external?
Both
Mind wandering is internal
What does mind wandering lead to?
More distraction and more failures in sustained attention
What are frontal regions involved in?
Both mind wandering (generating task unrelated thoughts) and cognitive control (attention)
Why does it matter that the same regions are involved in mind wandering and cognitive control?
It is a challenge for studying attentional control of mind wandering is the same regions are involved
Is increased memory associated with more or less mind wandering?
Mixed evidence, due to the task given
Kane et al - high WM = reduced mind wandering
Levinson et al = high WM = increased mind wandering
