Divided Attention and Reinforcement Variables

描述(申请人提供)：注意力分配和持续性方面的问题出现在各种心理障碍中(例如，多动症、自闭症、精神分裂症和药物滥用)。注意力似乎在一定程度上是一种自愿的技能，但人们对不同结果在注意力控制中的作用知之甚少。自愿性(即操纵性)行为的量化理论描述了不同的结果如何调节行为的分配和持续性，并可能适用于注意力。匹配定律表明，对两个期权的行为分配等于从期权中获得的增强剂的分布。行为动量理论表明，在存在刺激的情况下，行为的持续性取决于在该刺激存在时获得的强化速率。本研究旨在检验这些理论在动物模型中通过不同结果控制注意力的适用性。将使用一种程序，向鸽子呈现由两个元素(颜色和线条方向)组成的样本，然后要求它们从两个元素比较刺激(两个颜色或线条)中选择一个元素。准确的表现需要在样本的两个元素之间进行注意力分散。准确度的变化将被用来衡量关注复合样本中每种元素的分配和持久性。本研究的具体目的是：1)确定对复合刺激中某一要素的注意分配是否随着注意该要素的强化的相对分布而变化。2)考察差别化强化对面对干扰时注意的持续性的影响。3)开始分析差异强化影响分散注意表现的机制。定量理论的发展描述了不同结果在注意力控制中的作用，可能会导致对与注意力分配和持续性问题相关的障碍进行更有效的行为干预。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Problems in the allocation and persistence of attention occur in various psychological disorders (e.g., ADHD, autism, schizophrenia, and drug abuse). Attention appears to be in part a voluntary skill, but little is known about the role of differential consequences in the control of attention. Quantitative theories of voluntary (i.e., operant) behavior describe how differential consequences modulate the allocation and persistence of behavior, and may be applicable to attention. The matching law suggests that the allocation of behavior to two options equals the distribution of reinforcers obtained from the options. Behavioral momentum theory suggests that the persistence of behavior in the presence of a stimulus is governed by the rate of reinforcement obtained in that presence of that stimulus. This research aims to examine the applicability of these theories to the control of attention by differential consequences in an animal model. A procedure will be used in which pigeons are presented with samples comprised of two elements (color and line orientation) and then required to chose one of the elements from two element comparison stimuli (two colors or lines). Accurate performance requires the division of attention between the two elements of the sample. Change in accuracy will be used to measure the allocation and persistence of attending to each of the elements in the compound sample. The specific aims of this research are: 1) to determine if the allocation of attention to an element of a compound stimulus varies as a function of the relative distribution of reinforcement for attending to that element. 2) To examine the effects of differential reinforcement on the persistence of attending in the face of disruption. 3) To begin an analysis of the mechanisms through which differential reinforcement affects divided attention performance. The development of quantitative theories describing the role of differential consequences in the control of attention may lead to more effective behavioral interventions for disorders associated with problems in the allocation and persistence of attention.