Task 5

Question 1

Study: Attention and Consciousness: Related yet different

Study (Koch et al.)

Answer 1

• Participants in the study were shown a moving pattern (target) and another visual distraction. When both were shown to the same eye, the participants could see the moving pattern clearly. But when each shown to a different eye it became invisible
• The researchers then asked participants to either focus on identifying specific letters or pay attention to the moving pattern while ignoring the distractions
• Found that paying attention to the moving pattern increased brain activity in V1, regardless of whether the participants could consciously see the pattern or not

Question 2

Awareness and attentive selection: Model A

Lamme et al.

Answer 2

In this model, attention determines what becomes conscious and what does not. It suggests that we can only report on stimuli that we attend to, implying a direct link between attention and consciousness

Question 3

Awareness and attentive selection: Model B

Lamme et al.

Answer 3

This model proposes non-attentional selection mechanisms for awareness. It suggests that there are mechanisms other than attention that influence what reaches conscious awareness, indicating a more complex relationship between attention and consciousness

Question 4

Awareness and attentive selection: Model C

Lamme et al.

Answer 4

In this model, there is no distinction between attention and consciousness. It implies that the term “consciousness” may not be necessary if attention alone determines what we can report about, blurring the lines between attention and consciousness

Question 5

Awareness and attentive selection: Model D

Lamme et al.

Answer 5

This model suggests a separation between conscious and unconscious processing from the attentional selection mechanism. It proposes that many inputs can reach a conscious state independently of attention, but attention is required for reporting on these conscious experiences, highlighting a nuanced interplay between attention and consciousness

Question 6

Study: Change detection task

Study (Lamme et al.)

Answer 6

• The study mentioned in the paper involved change detection tasks where subjects were presented with scenes containing multiple items.
• The study investigated how attention influences the ability to detect changes in these scenes.
• The results showed that cueing the item that might change before the onset of the second stimulus significantly improved subjects’ performance in detecting changes, indicating the crucial role of attention in visual awareness and change detection tasks
  (Supports Model D)

Question 7

Feedforward sweep (FFS)

Answer 7

The earliest activation of cells in successive areas of the cortical hierarchy