Control of Attention by the Motor System: A Motor Bias Theory of Attention

人类必须用有限的认知资源处理大量的视觉信息。空间注意使我们能够选择相关信息。注意力的比喻是聚光灯；只有处于注意力“光束”内的东西才会被处理。一种普遍的观点是，聚光灯的控制是由电机系统实现的。如果我们想要关注某件事，我们计划(但不一定要执行)一个动作，让眼睛或手指向那件事。这一‘前置因素’理论对注意力产生了很大影响，但并不能解释全部的经验数据。这个项目将测试一种新的注意运动偏向理论，该理论对运动控制和注意之间的关系提供了新的解释。具体地说，运动准备以随机的方式影响注意力，因此当(A)相同的目标被不止一个效应器系统选择，(B)运动接近启动，以及(C)生物体确信运动将可靠地获得期望的目标时，注意力更有可能被分配到运动目标上。该项目旨在通过测试这些原理来准确描述注意力和运动系统之间的相互作用。了解注意力心理学也将有助于开发针对注意力神经心理缺陷患者的新型康复技术。

Humans must process an overwhelming amount of visual information with limited cognitive resources. Spatial attention allows us to select the relevant information. A metaphor for attention is that of a spotlight; only things within the 'beam' of attention are processed. A widely held view is that control of the spotlight is implemented by the motor system. If we wish to attend to something, we plan (but don't necessarily execute) an action that would orient the eyes or hands to that thing. This 'Premotor' theory of attention has been very influential, but does not explain the full range of empirical data. This project will test a new Motor Bias theory of attention which offers a new explanation of the relationship between motor control and attention. Specifically, it is argued that movement preparation influences attention in a stochastic fashion, such that attention is more likely to be allocated to movement goals when (a) the same goal is being selected by more than one effector system, (b) the movement is close to being initiated and (c) the organism is confident that the movement will reliably acquire the desired target. The project aims to precisely characterise the interaction between attention and the motor system by testing these principles. Understanding the psychology of attention will also inform the development of novel rehabilitation techniques for patients with neuropsychological deficits of attention.