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。空间注意力使我们能够选择相关信息。注意力的一个比喻是聚光灯；只有在注意力“光束”范围内的东西才会被处理。一个广泛持有的观点是，对聚光灯的控制是由运动系统实现的。如果我们想关注某件事，我们计划（但不一定执行）一个动作，使眼睛或手指向那件事。这种关于注意力的“前运动”理论非常有影响力，但并不能解释所有的经验数据。本项目将测试一个新的注意运动偏倚理论，该理论为运动控制和注意之间的关系提供了一个新的解释。具体来说，有人认为运动准备以随机方式影响注意力，因此当(a)多个效应系统选择相同的目标时，(b)运动接近开始，(c)生物体确信该运动将可靠地获得期望的目标时，注意力更有可能分配给运动目标。该项目旨在通过测试这些原理来精确描述注意力和运动系统之间的相互作用。对注意力心理学的理解也将为注意力神经心理缺陷患者的新型康复技术的发展提供信息。

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.