Cognitive control of auditory attention: Examining flexible preparatory “tuning” to a speaker in a multitalker set-up

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Selective listening is an excellent example for the role of attention in auditory information processing. Auditory attention to speech has often been investigated in experimental paradigms using multi-talker (“cocktail party”) situations, where the listener is required to comprehend a “target” speaker whilst ignoring other concurrent (and distracting) speakers. However, most of these studies have focused on how well attention can be maintained on the same target speaker, and their primary measure has been the accuracy of reporting the content heard. In contrast, the current project will investigate intentional shifting of attention from one speaker to another using chronometric (reaction time, RT) measures of performance using manual responses. Earlier research by the applicant introduced a paradigm where two speakers utter concurrently single-digit numbers, and a cue preceding the speech stimuli specifies the target speaker by indicating the task-relevant gender or position (i.e., speaker side); the task is simple number magnitude classification. The comparison of the trials where the target was either switched or repeated revealed a substantial performance “switch cost” (longer RT and more errors), which suggests some attentional “inertia” that limits the efficacy of shifting auditory attention. Given this limitation, it is important to examine the degree to which the switch cost can be reduced by preparation for an upcoming attention shift. This project aims to examine preparation as a proactive cognitive control process by manipulating the cue-stimulus interval (i.e., the time available for preparation). Previous studies using related experimental paradigms either did not focus on preparation, or found conflicting evidence on whether or not it reduces the switch cost. The present set of experiments aims to address this gap in the literature by combining the expertise of applicant Dr. Iring Koch (Aachen) and that of his international collaborator Dr. Aureliu Lavric (Exeter, UK) – an internationally known expert in the cognitive neuroscience of attention and cognitive control, for whom the application requests a Mercator Fellowship. Together they aim to systematically explore in nine cognitive-behavioral experiments the conditions in which preparation is most effective. In addition, they will examine in two EEG experiments the underlying neurocognitive mechanisms, that is, whether preparing to listen to another speaker (in the absence of auditory input) involves actual attentional re-tuning of perception with regard to the target or only updating of abstract (non-perceptual) task goals. The results of this research will inform both basic attention research and applications aiming to improve selective attention.