Effects of Search Difficulty on the Selection, Maintenance, and Learning of Attentional Templates
Effects of Search Difficulty on the Selection, Maintenance, and Learning of Attentional Templates
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DOI：
10.1162/jocn_a_00600
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发表时间：
2014-09-01
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Meeter, Martijn
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Gunseli, Eren;Olivers, Christian N. L.;Meeter, Martijn
著名的注意力理论声称，视觉搜索是通过工作记忆中存储的注意力模板来引导的。最近，人们发现，当参与者反复搜索同一目标时，对侧延迟活动（CDA）（工作记忆存储的电生理指标）会迅速下降，这表明，随着学习，模板会从工作记忆中移出。然而，这仅通过针对不同目标的弹出搜索进行了研究，对此可能不需要强大的注意力模板。更费力的搜索任务可能更多地依赖于工作记忆中的主动注意力模板，导致向长期记忆的切换更慢，从而 CDA 的下降更慢。使用 ERP，我们比较了弹出任务和费力搜索任务中注意力模板的学习率。在两个实验中，两个搜索任务的 CDA 下降率相同。对于索引工作记忆努力的第二个组成部分，即晚期积极复合体，也发现了类似的结果。然而，晚期阳性复合体对预期的搜索难度也很敏感，正如在较难的搜索任务之前以更大的幅度表达的那样。我们得出的结论是，用于维持注意力模板的工作记忆投入量取决于搜索难度，而不是学习率。
Prominent theories of attention claim that visual search is guided through attentional templates stored in working memory. Recently, the contralateral delay activity (CDA), an electro-physiological index of working memory storage, has been found to rapidly decrease when participants repeatedly search for the same target, suggesting that, with learning, the template moves out of working memory. However, this has only been investigated with pop-out search for distinct targets, for which a strong attentional template may not be necessary. More effortful search tasks might rely more on an active attentional template in working memory, leading to a slower handoff to long-term memory and thus a slower decline of the CDA. Using ERPs, we compared the rate of learning of attentional templates in pop-out and effortful search tasks. In two experiments, the rate of decrease in the CDA was the same for both search tasks. Similar results were found for a second component indexing working memory effort, the late positive complex. However, the late positive complex was also sensitive to anticipated search difficulty, as was expressed in a greater amplitude before the harder search task. We conclude that the amount of working memory effort invested in maintaining an attentional template, but not the rate of learning, depends on search difficulty.