FOCAL AND AMBIENT FORMS OF HUMAN VISUAL ATTENTION

描述（改编自申请人的摘要）：本申请的目的 心理物理学项目是研究表达，和神经元 这种表达的机制，两种形式的人类视觉 注意力：焦点或序列注意力和基于显著性的视觉形式 关注 后一种形式的注意力被认为是平行运作的 在整个视野中，并基于中心环绕型 神经元手术 初步的心理物理证据支持两个这样的 可以独立运作的补充注意过程的形式 彼此的 为了进一步区分这两种不同的注意力， 在灵长类动物视觉系统中运作的过程，这项研究计划进行 三组心理物理实验（使用计算机生成和 显示在监视器上的受控刺激）。 这些实验解决了 是否只有一种形式的集中注意力， 两种形式的注意力在多大程度上受到先前视觉的影响 关于这一问题的经验，这两种形式中哪一种是必要的， 传达精确的空间关系（例如，三角形位于 圆）。 计算机建模将用于补充实验 程序. 这个场景将在大量的皮层地图中表现出来， 表示不同的特征，例如强度、颜色（红-绿和 蓝黄色），不同的方向和运动。 这些地图中的神经元 具有在许多不同空间尺度上操作的感受野， 根据已知的生理学相互作用， 猕猴和人类的视觉系统。 这些神经元的输出 将输入到一个单一的显着性地图，表达了显着性或 图像中特定特征的显著性。 将使用此计算机模型 来复制和预测心理和生理表现。

DESCRIPTION (Adapted from applicant's abstract): The aim of this psychophysical project is to study the expression, and the neuronal mechanisms underlying this expression, of two forms of human visual attention: focal or serial attention and a saliency-based form of visual attention. This latter form of attention is believed to operate in parallel throughout the entire visual field and is based on center-surround type of neuronal operations. Preliminary psychophysical evidence supports two such forms of complementary attentional processes that can operate independently of each other. To further distinguish these two different attentional processes operating in the primate visual system, this study plans to carry out three sets of psychophysical experiments (using computer generated and controlled stimuli displayed on a monitor). The experiments address the question of whether there only exists a single form of focal attention, to what extent both forms of attention are influenced by prior visual experience on the subject and which of these two forms are necessary for conveying precise spatial relationships (e.g. the triangle is to the left of the circle). Computer modeling will be used to complement the experimental program. The scene will be represented in a large number of cortical maps, representing different features, such as intensity, color (red-green and blue-yellow), different orientations and motion. Neurons in these maps will have receptive fields operating at many different spatial scales and will interact with each other in accordance with the known physiology of the visual system of macaque monkeys and humans. The output of these neurons will feed into a single saliency map that expresses the conspicuity or saliency of particular features in images. This computer model will be used to replicate and predict psycho-physical performance.