chapter 22: attention and consciousness

Question 1

What is attention defined as?

Answer 1

The narrowing of awareness to particular part(s) of sensory environment.

Question 2

What is the main difference between consciousness and attention?

Answer 2

Attention is top-down (at least selective attention); Consciousness is bottom-up, directed by attentional capture by stimuli.

Question 3

How does the Atkinson-Shiffrin Model order different kinds of memory and stimuli?

Answer 3

(From high to low): Long-term memory, short-term memory, sensory memory, environmental stimuli.

Question 4

What is attentional capture?

Answer 4

Bottom-up, passive process of environmental stimuli influencing/capturing attention.

Question 5

Automatic processes are driven by __________ input, conscious ones driven by __________ input.

Answer 5

sensory, cognitive.

Question 6

What is the difference between early and late-stage filtering in Broadbent’s filter model of attention?

Answer 6

Early-stage filtering emphasizes physical features of attended stimulus, while late emphasizes semantic features.

Question 7

Which types of visual search are automatic?

Answer 7

Simple features, such as use of bold type standing out in print.

Question 8

Describe feature search.

Answer 8

Strategy for scanning environment for object with specific combination of features.

Object broken down into features (colour, orientation, size, stereo distance) from V1 to be serially processed via serial search by higher visual areas.

Question 9

Describe serial search.

Answer 9

As part of feature search, attention spotlight focuses on specific features, compares them with features stored in memory.

Question 10

What are priority maps?

Answer 10

Neural pathways that encode visual stimulus location in terms of behavioural significance.

Question 11

What role does the pulvinar play in the visual attention network?

Answer 11

Directing attentional spotlight. Projects to posterior parietal of dorsal stream.

Question 12

What does V4 activity indicate about selective attention?

Answer 12

The harder the task, the more V4 activity. Cells in V4 selective in what they attend to.

Question 13

Which area is processes different objects in parallel when multiple objects are presented?

Answer 13

Area TE/inferotemporal cortex, responsible for object recognition.

Question 14

Which cortical areas are most active when attention directed
a) to one sensory modality
b) between sensory modalities

Answer 14

a) Activity increases in relevant cortical area
b) Increase in left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (executive area) activity

Question 15

Functional imaging of attention study indicated that left visual field activated __________ parietal, right visual field activated __________ parietal.

Answer 15

right, bilateral.

Question 16

What are the three neural networks that support attention? Which neurotransmitters are they modulated by respectively?

Answer 16

Alerting, norepinephrine; orienting, acetylcholine; executive, dopamine.

Question 17

The locus coeruleus, frontal cortex, and parietal cortex, belong to which attentional network?

Answer 17

The alerting network.

Question 18

The superior parietal, temporal parietal junction, frontal eye fields, superior colliculus, and pulvinar belong to which attentional network?

Answer 18

The orienting network.

Question 19

The anterior cingulate, anterior insula, and basal ganglia belong to which attentional network?

Answer 19

The executive network.

Question 20

In the alerting network, the __________ __________ __________ system from midbrain maintains alertness. __________ neurons project from __________ __________ to the __________.

Answer 20

Ascending reticular activating system, Noradrenergic neurons, locus coeruleus, forebrain.

Question 21

The orienting network is modulated by __________ neurons.

The dorsal orienting network involves which areas? It is (top-down/bottom-up).

The ventral orienting network involves which brain areas? It is (top-down/bottom-up).

Answer 21

Cholinergenic neurons.

Dorsal: frontal eye fields and intraparietal sulcus; top-down

Ventral: temporoparietal junction, ventral frontal cortex, pulvinar; bottom-up

Question 22

The executive network is made up of two sub-networks. What are they and when are they activated?

Answer 22

Dorsolateral-prefrontal cortex-parietal network: active at beginning of task.

Anterior cingulate/medial frontal-anterior insula network: active throughout task.

Question 23

Psychosocial stress impairs performance on attentional tasks by decreasing activity in which areas?

Answer 23

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (executive area), anterior cingulate, premotor, posterior parietal.

Question 24

Describe inattentional blindness.

Answer 24

Subject fails to notice something while performing another task (E.g. gorilla video).

Question 25

Describe change blindness.

Answer 25

Subject fails to notice changes in environment if not expecting them.

Question 26

Describe an attentional blink.

Answer 26

Attending to one stimulus prevents subject from being aware of a second stimulus.

Question 27

With inattention, brain imaging shows that unattended items are detected by sensory system, but filtered out. What process is this an example of?

Answer 27

Early-stage filtering.

Question 28

Which parietal lobe can attend to both visual fields? Which one only attends to the contralateral one?

Answer 28

Right parietal can attend to either visual field, left parietal only attends to right visual field.

Question 29

Describe binding.

Answer 29

Regarding theory of consciousness, the process of integrating/unifying arousal, perception, attention, and working memory.