Behavioural and real-world determinants of attention

为了应对不断被各种信息淹没的情况，注意力会过滤掉不相关的内容，并集中在相关的内容上。现在很明显，传统方法是有限的。注意力被理解为以两种相互排斥的模式之一运作：自上而下和有目的的，比如专注于一个目标时，或者自下而上和毫不费力的，对刺激做出反应，比如暴露在大声的噪音中，也分别被称为内源性和外源性。当试图解释注意力如何作用于更有意义和情感的材料（如人或奖励）时，经典的划分就站不住脚了。传统的方法在很大程度上忽略了个体差异，并狭隘地关注基于实验室的计算机任务，这是缺乏的。我们需要的是更新和扩展这一理论，以解释与有意义的日常行为相关的新数据，并收集揭示关键个体差异的数据。在我的多学科方法中，传统的基于实验室的研究与具有更大生态有效性的密切匹配的研究相辅相成，并结合了现实世界的情况。研究方法将包括(i)使用收集响应时间和准确性测量的计算机任务，（ii）从计算机任务和现实场景中收集每一刻的响应，（iii）使用眼动追踪设备，房间摄像机和望远镜跟踪凝视行为，以及（iv）收集足够大的样本以能够理解参与者之间的异同。这项研究计划不仅有助于塑造我们对注意力的理解，而且强调采取更广泛的实验方法，(a)通过考虑个体差异，(b)通过获得多种结果测量，(c)通过在同一个体中进行基于实验室和现实世界的调查，而不是并行进行调查，这项工作旨在全面了解注意力如何影响其他类型的信息，以及如何受到其他类型信息的影响。这项工作将使我们更丰富、更全面地了解注意力在现实行为环境中的作用，并有可能提供关于奖励（例如赌博和赌博成瘾）和社会能力和无能（例如自闭症谱系障碍）的功能和功能失调行为的潜在机制。

To cope with being constantly inundated with all types of information, attention acts to both filter out irrelevant content and focus in on that which is relevant. It is now clear that classical approaches are limited. Attention was understood as operating in one of two mutually exclusive modes: top-down and purposeful, such as when focusing on a goal, or bottom-up and effortless, responding to a stimulus, such as when exposed to a loud noise, also known as endogenous versus exogenous, respectively. When trying to explain how attention operates on more meaningful and emotional materials, such as people or rewards, the classic division fails to hold. The traditional approach, which has largely ignored individual differences and focused narrowly on lab-based computer tasks, is lacking. What is needed is to update and expand the theory to account for the new data to connect to meaningful, everyday behaviour, and to collect data that reveals critical individual differences. In my multi¬disciplinary approach, traditional lab-based studies are complemented with closely matched studies with greater ecologically validity and incorporating, real-world situations. Research methods will consist of (i) using computer tasks that collect response time and accuracy measures, (ii) collecting moment-by-moment responses from both computer tasks and real-world scenarios, (iii) tracking gaze behaviours using eye-tracking equipment, room cameras, and spyglasses, and (iv) collect large enough samples to be able to understand similarities and differences across participants. Not only will this research program help shape our understanding of attention, but it emphasizes taking a broader experimental approach, (a) by accounting for individual variability, (b) by obtaining multiple outcome measures, and (c) by running both lab-based and real-world investigations within the same individuals instead of in parallel, this work aims to provide a thorough understanding of how attention influences, and is influenced by, other types of information. This work will lead to a richer and more complete understanding of how attention functions in realistic behavioural settings, and has the potential to provide insights into possible mechanisms underlying both functional and dysfunctional behaviour regarding reward (e.g., gambling and gambling addiction) and social competence and incompetence (e.g., autism spectrum disorders).