Mental imagery and visual attentional templates: A dissociation
Mental imagery and visual attentional templates: A dissociation
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DOI：
10.1016/j.cortex.2023.09.014
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发表时间：
2023-11-13
期刊：
影响因子：
3.6
通讯作者：
Forster，Sophie
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cabbai，Giulia;Brown，Chris R. H.;Forster，Sophie
人们对心理图像和注意模板之间的关系越来越感兴趣，因为两者都被认为是涉及类似神经机制的图像表征。在这里，我们调查的作用，心理意象的自动执行的注意模板和他们的影响，不自觉的注意。我们开发了一种新版本的偶然捕获范式，旨在鼓励在每次试验中生成新的模板，并通过模板匹配的视觉特征（颜色）来测量偶然的空间捕获。参与者被要求在四个不同的位置搜索每个试验开始时指定的特定对象。紧接在搜索显示之前，在潜在目标位置周围呈现颜色提示，其中一个与目标颜色匹配（例如，在三个实验中，我们的任务诱导了一个强大的偶然捕获效应，当目标出现在先前被目标匹配线索占据的位置时，反应会更快。与我们的预测相反，这种效果保持一致，无论自我报告的视觉心理意象（实验1，N = 216）或试验的自愿形象生动性（实验2，N = 121）的变化的个体差异。此外，偶然捕获观察到，即使在aphantasic参与者，谁报告没有图像（实验3，N = 91）。与非aphantasics的对照样本相比，aphantasics的影响程度并没有降低，尽管两组报告了他们的搜索策略存在实质性差异，并且在整体速度和准确性方面存在差异。因此，我们的研究结果建立了视觉特征（颜色）的注意力模板的生成和实施与主观体验的图像之间的分离。
There is a growing interest in the relationship between mental images and attentional templates as both are considered pictorial representations that involve similar neural mechanisms. Here, we investigated the role of mental imagery in the automatic implementation of attentional templates and their effect on involuntary attention. We developed a novel version of the contingent capture paradigm designed to encourage the generation of a new template on each trial and measure contingent spatial capture by a template-matching visual feature (color). Participants were required to search at four different locations for a specific object indicated at the start of each trial. Immediately prior to the search display, color cues were presented surrounding the potential target locations, one of which matched the target color (e.g., red for strawberry).Across three experiments, our task induced a robust contingent capture effect, reflected by faster responses when the target appeared in the location previously occupied by the target-matching cue. Contrary to our predictions, this effect remained consistent regardless of self-reported individual differences in visual mental imagery (Experiment 1, N = 216) or trial-by-trial variation of voluntary imagery vividness (Experiment 2, N = 121). Moreover, contingent capture was observed even among aphantasic participants, who report no imagery (Experiment 3, N = 91). The magnitude of the effect was not reduced in aphantasics compared to a control sample of non-aphantasics, although the two groups reported substantial differences in their search strategy and exhibited differences in overall speed and accuracy. Our results hence establish a dissociation between the generation and implementation of attentional templates for a visual feature (color) and subjectively experienced imagery.