Temporal dynamics of attentional selection of space, features and featureconjunctions in human vision

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The proposed project will investigate the temporal dynamics of visual attention under circumstances where attentional selection of relevant stimuli is concurrently based on multiple properties such as spatial location or basic features (e.g. color or orientation). Previous research has obtained seemingly contradictory results: while some studies reported a strong, hierarchical interdependence of attentional selection of space and features, other studies found a facilitation of attended features across the entire visual field, a result that implies considerable independence of these mechanisms. We hypothesize that these conflicting results can be explained by temporal differences in the stimuli used in the previous studies. The proposed studies are aimed at reconciling these discrepancies by comparing the brain responses to the different types of stimuli used in previous approaches. Furthermore, we will for the first time study the time course of attentional shifts when selection is based on multiple properties. Six experiments will be conducted recording event-related potentials (ERPs), steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) and behavioral responses in healthy adults. The project will significantly contribute to our understanding of basic attention mechanisms and will improve our understanding of human performance in complex situations with temporally changing attentional demands, a situation relevant for applications such as human factors engineering.