Understanding conceptual cueing

为了让人类成功地与我们复杂的视觉环境互动，我们必须优先处理视觉信息，以便随后进行感知和认知处理。选择性地注意视野部分的能力对这种优先顺序至关重要，最近的研究表明，注意定向可能是通过接触具有隐含空间意义的概念线索来实现的。这类线索(如‘魔鬼’、‘帽子’、‘喜悦’)激活了内部空间表征，暴露于它们会在空间相容的位置对外围目标产生更快的反应。例如，我的实验室的工作已经显示出在空间兼容的位置对各种概念线索的促进效应，包括带有隐含方向的词语(Boots；Gozli，Pratt，Martin，&Chasteen，2015)，以及涉及宗教的词语(“上帝”；Chasteen，Burdzy，&Pratt，2010)，情绪(‘Happy’；Gozli，Chasteen，&Pratt，2013)，或自尊(‘Prode’；Taylor，Lam，Chasteen，&Pratt，2015)。虽然我的实验室和其他实验室已经证明了线索效应对不同类型概念的概括性，但关于决定概念线索如何运作的基本过程，仍有许多需要学习。促进这种理解是至关重要的，因为概念线索无处不在--我们通过各种上下文遇到它们，无论是通过音乐的听觉线索，还是通过与他人的对话，或者通过媒体的视觉线索。因此，概念线索可以以多种方式触发，然后影响我们在视觉环境中注意和反应的内容。*在拟议的研究中，我的目标是通过严格测试两个命题，在理解概念线索和视觉注意之间的联系方面取得重大进展。第一个命题是，概念线索激活的内部空间表征导致视觉注意定向到视野中相应的空间区域，这种独特的注意力转移具有外源性注意(自动发生)和内源性注意(内在驱动)的特性。我将在研究的三个子项目中测试这一假设。我要测试的第二个命题是，由概念线索激活的内部空间表征是灵活的，随着时间(短期)和个体(长期)的变化而变化。我将在研究的两个子项目中检验这一命题。测试这两个命题将使我们更全面地理解概念信息的处理(发生在我们日常经验中)如何影响从视野中选择哪些信息进行进一步处理。知道这一点很重要，因为我们选择处理的视觉信息是我们当前和未来行为的重要决定因素。

In order for humans to successfully interact with our complex visual environments, we must prioritize visual information for subsequent perceptual and cognitive processing. The ability to selectively attend to portions of the visual field is vital for this prioritization, and recent research has shown that attentional orienting may be accomplished through exposure to conceptual cues that hold implicit spatial meaning. Such cues (e.g., ‘devil', ‘hat', ‘joy') activate internal spatial representations and exposure to them produces faster responses to peripheral targets at spatially-compatible locations. For example, work from my laboratory has shown facilitation effects at spatially compatible locations for a variety of conceptual cues, including words with implicit direction (‘boots'; Gozli, Pratt, Martin, & Chasteen, 2015), and words referring to religion (“god”; Chasteen, Burdzy, & Pratt, 2010), mood (‘happy'; Gozli, Chasteen, & Pratt, 2013), or self-esteem (‘proud'; Taylor, Lam, Chasteen, & Pratt, 2015). Although my lab and others have demonstrated the generalizability of cueing effects for different types of concepts, there is still much to be learned regarding the fundamental processes that determine how conceptual cues operate. Furthering this understanding is critical, because conceptual cues are ubiquitous – we encounter them through a variety of contexts, whether through aural cues from music or conversation with others, or visual cues through media. Thus, conceptual cues can be triggered in a number of ways and then subsequently influence what we attend and respond to in our visual environment.******In the proposed research I aim to make significant advances in understanding the link between conceptual cues and visual attention through rigorously testing two propositions. The first proposition is that the internal spatial representations that conceptual cues activate causes visual attention to be oriented to the corresponding region of space in the visual field, and this unique shift in attention has properties of exogenous attention (it happens automatically) and endogenous attention (it is internally driven). I will test this assumption in three subprograms of research. The second proposition I will test is that the internal spatial representation activated by conceptual cues is flexible, varying across time (short-term) and individuals (long-term). I will examine this proposition in two subprograms of research. Testing these two propositions will result in a more complete understanding of how the processing of conceptual information (which occurs throughout our daily experiences) influences what information from the visual field is selected for further processing. This is important to know, as the visual information we select to process is an important determinant of our current and future behaviour.