Behavioural and electrophysiological investigations of the attentional blink

注意眨眼的行为和电生理学研究

• 批准号: 249823-2007
• 负责人: Arnell, Karen
• 金额: $ 1.66万
• 依托单位: Brock University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2007-01-01 至 2008-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=362546
• 关键词: Behavioural; electrophysiological; investigations; attentional; blink

In our everyday lives we must often perform two tasks at once, or attend to more than one stimulus at a time. For example, we may talk on our cellular phone while driving, or take notes while listening to a lecture. Many of the tasks we try to perform in combination require attention. At odds with our desire to do everything at once is the fact that there are finite limits on how much information we can attend to and process at any one time. Such attentional limitations are frustrating in that they often predict the imminent failure of one or more tasks under conditions of multi-tasking even when two tasks do not share the same input (e.g., eyes) or output (e.g., hands) systems. However, our failures in multi-task situations can provide valuable information concerning functional and fundamental human processing limitations on attention.To examine the nature and duration of attentional processing limitations in dual-task paradigms, I present two different discrete targets each requiring a simple response, and manipulate the nature of the targets, the nature of the target tasks, the separation between the targets, and the presentation conditions. Electrophysiological recordings are also taken while participants perform dual-task conditions so that the pattern of electrical brain activity in response to the targets can be examined. The nature and duration of attentional processing limitations are inferred from the pattern of behavioural responses (response time and accuracy) and the brainwave components (amplitude and latency) that relate to specific cognitive processes.I also seek to understand dual-task costs by examining why some individuals show larger multi-tasking costs than others. Participants perform various cognitive tasks under single task conditions. Some of these tasks are simple such as pressing a button when viewing a letter, but others are more complex such as reading, memory tasks, or problem solving tasks. The level of performance on these tasks is then related to performance costs on the dual-task trials. Strong relationships between single-task performance and dual-task costs suggest a common underlying cognitive process. Electrophysiological techniques are then used to isolate this process.

在我们的日常生活中，我们经常必须同时执行两项任务，或者一次处理多个刺激。例如，我们可能在开车时打电话，或者在听讲座时记笔记。我们试图同时完成的许多任务都需要注意力。与我们想一次做所有事情的愿望相矛盾的是，我们在任何时候能够关注和处理的信息数量是有限的。这种注意力限制是令人沮丧的，因为它们经常预测在多任务条件下一个或多个任务即将失败，即使两个任务不共享相同的输入（例如，眼睛）或输出（例如，手）系统。然而，我们在多任务情况下的失败可以提供有关功能和基本的人类处理限制注意力的有价值的信息。为了研究双任务范式中注意加工限制的性质和持续时间，我提出了两个不同的离散目标，每个目标都需要一个简单的反应，并操纵目标的性质、目标任务的性质、目标之间的分离和呈现条件。当参与者执行双重任务时，电生理记录也被记录下来，这样就可以检查对目标做出反应的脑电活动模式。注意加工限制的性质和持续时间是从行为反应的模式（反应时间和准确性）和与特定认知过程相关的脑波成分（振幅和延迟）中推断出来的。我还试图通过研究为什么有些人比其他人表现出更大的多任务成本来理解双任务成本。参与者在单一任务条件下执行各种认知任务。其中一些任务很简单，比如在查看字母时按下按钮，但其他任务更复杂，比如阅读、记忆任务或解决问题的任务。然后，这些任务的性能水平与双任务试验的性能成本有关。单任务表现和双任务成本之间的密切关系表明存在一个共同的潜在认知过程。然后使用电生理技术分离这一过程。