COMPARATIVE AND AUTONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ATTENTION

拟议研究的长期目标是增加我们的 对定向反应和防御反应作用的理解 人类的注意力和信息处理。在过去的几年中 几十年来对人类对象的广泛研究未能解决许多问题 与这一问题有关的基本问题。该计划的目的是 建议的研究是对定位和定位进行系统的分析 来自三个不同门类的动物的防御反应 分析伴随而来的自主神经系统活动变化 这些反应并研究这些反应对注意力的影响 而信息处理属于三类动物。实现 更全面地理解定向反应和防御反应的功能 在广泛的动物物种中可能有助于我们理解 人类在注意力和信息处理方面的这些反应。 拟议研究的第一阶段将系统地研究 心脏和行为对中性、猎物和捕食者刺激的反应 在选定的两栖动物(如中华大蟾蜍)、爬行动物(如红孢子虫)中 一品红)和哺乳动物(Sigmodon Hispidus)。尽管这个特殊的 选择的物种在许多方面都不同，它们都受到 被相同的捕食者捕食，并吃掉相似的猎物物种。这 将使我们能够研究心脏和行为的反应 不同的动物物种对同一猎物和捕食者的刺激，在 真实或模拟的猎物和捕食者的形式。的一个主要关注点 这项拟议的研究将记录心率的变化 发生在捕食和捕食者逃逸的不同阶段。这个 这些序列的前三个阶段是相同的，包括(1) 检测，(2)识别，(3)评估。在捕食中 在评估阶段之后是捕获响应(例如， 接近和/或攻击)。在捕食者-逃跑序列中，评估 阶段之后是逃逸响应(例如，逃跑，隐藏， 战斗)。在这三种常见情况下发生的心脏变化 各阶段将在标准实验室测试室和 为每个物种设计的模拟自然环境 学习。 第二阶段将采用特定的药物治疗方法来 评估潜在的生理机制，负责 在预测和预测期间发生的各种心率变化 捕食者-逃逸序列。后续的研究将试图将 注意力和信息处理的自主变化。 第三阶段将集中于心脏和行为的作用 在捕食的不同阶段发生的反应和 注意和信息处理上的捕食者回避序列。 这些结果将被解释为它们对 当代人类注意与信息处理理论 研究对象。

The long-range goal of the proposed research is to increase our understanding of the role of orienting and defensive responses in attention and information processing in humans. Over the past several decades extensive research on human subjects has failed to resolve many of the basic issues related to this question. The purpose of the proposed research is to conduct a systematic analysis of orienting and defensive responses in animal subjects from three different phyla, to analyze the changes in autonomic nervous system activity that accompany those responses, and to study the effects of those responses on attention and information processing i the three classes of animals. Achieving a fuller understanding of the function of orienting and defensive responses in a wide range of animal species may help us to understand the role of those responses in attention and information processing in humans. The first phase of the proposed research will systematically examine the cardiac and behavioral response to neutral, prey, and predator stimuli in selected amphibians (e.g., Bufo marinus), reptiles (e.g., Sceleporus poinsetti), and mammals (Sigmodon hispidus). Although the particular species chosen differ in a number of ways they are all subject to predation by the same predators and consume similar prey species. This will allow us to study the cardiac and behavioral responses of the different animal species to the same prey and predator stimuli, in the form of either real or simulated prey and predators. One major focus of the proposed research will be to record the changes in heart rate that occur during the various stages of predation and predator-escape. The first three stages of those sequences are the same and consist of (1) detection, (2) identification, and (3) assessment. In the predation sequence the assessment stage is followed by the capture response (e.g., approach and/ or attack). In the predator-escape sequence the assessment stage is followed by an escape response (e.g., flight, concealment, fighting). The cardiac changes that occur during these three common stages will be studied in both standard laboratory test chambers and simulated natural environments designed for each of the species to be studied. The second phase will employ specific pharmacological treatments to assess the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible for the various changes in heart rate that occur during the predication and predator-escape sequences. Subsequent research will attempt to relate those autonomic changes to attention and information processing. The third phase will focus on the role of the cardiac and behavioral responses occurring during the various stages of the predation and predator-avoidance sequences on attention and information processing. These results will be interpreted in terms of their significance for contemporary theories of attention and information processing in human subjects.