Attention and Auditory Scene Analysis

听觉场景分析（阿萨）是认知神经科学的一个研究领域，旨在了解我们如何从声景（即，声音波形的混合）到达我们的耳朵。到目前为止，阿萨的研究主要集中在低层次的功能驱动的过程中使用了广泛的纯音配置，而先验知识对阿萨的影响得到了相对较少的关注。这在我们对阿萨的理解中留下了很大的差距，因为虽然我们可能怀疑图式驱动的过程在日常听觉环境的感知中起着重要作用，但我们还不了解先验知识（即，听觉图式）影响声音特征的分组。在什么情况下模式驱动的过程会影响特征驱动的过程？大脑如何处理注意力之外的声音对象，这取决于先前的经验或预期吗？这些只是问题中的一小部分，当回答这些问题时，将推进理论和培训计划，努力提高在不利听力条件下的听力技能。这个综合性的研究计划包括一系列关于听觉注意力和阿萨的实验，重点是功能和图式驱动的阿萨在声景感知过程中如何相互作用。我的工作假设是，图式驱动而不是功能驱动的阿萨是声景感知的主要决定因素。本研究的具体目标是：（i）表征特征驱动的ASA和图式驱动的阿萨之间的相互作用;（ii）确定当我们感知、注意到变化和识别先前听到的音景时，在哪些条件下我们使用音景的局部与全局属性;（iii）检查内隐学习对注意和阿萨的影响;（iv）评估无意识注意捕获如何影响特征和图式驱动的阿萨。所有研究都将包括听力正常的成年人和神经电脑活动的测量，同时向参与者提供虚拟听觉环境。我们将使用熟悉和不熟悉的材料，并将操纵任务指令和声学参数，如音色和位置，以影响不同声音对象的分离和识别。拟议的研究将通过揭示在什么条件下图式驱动的阿萨影响声音的频谱和时间属性如何绑定在一起成为声音对象表示来推进注意力和阿萨理论。确定特征驱动和模式驱动阿萨之间的平衡将有助于开发针对改善正常听力以及脑损伤、听力损失和其他医疗条件（如注意力调节和执行功能缺陷）的听力技能的培训计划。最后，这项研究将通过证明声景感知首先是由自上而下的过程指导的变革。

Auditory scene analysis (ASA) is an area of study in cognitive neuroscience that seeks to understand how we perceive and identify sound objects in the environment from the soundscape (i.e., a mixture of sound waveforms) that reaches our ears. To date, ASA research has primarily focused on low-level feature-driven processes using a wide range of pure tone configurations, whereas the influence of prior knowledge on ASA has received relatively little attention. This leaves a large gap in our understanding of ASA because, while we may suspect that schema-driven processes play a major role in perception of everyday auditory environments, we do not yet understand how prior knowledge (i.e., auditory schema) impacts the grouping of sound features. Under what conditions do schema-driven processes influence feature-driven processes? How does the brain deal with sound objects that fall outside of attention, and does this depend on prior experience or expectation? These are just a few of the questions that, when answered, will advance theories and training programs that strive to improve listening skills in adverse listening conditions. This comprehensive research program includes a series of experiments on auditory attention and ASA with an emphasis on how feature- and schema-driven ASA interact during soundscape perception. My working hypothesis is that schema-driven rather than feature-driven ASA is the primary determinant of soundscape perception. The specific aims of this research program are to: (i)characterize the interaction between feature- and schema-driven ASA; (ii)determine under which conditions we use local vs. global properties of a soundscape when we perceive, notice changes, and recognize previously heard soundscapes; (iii)examine the effect of implicit learning on attention and ASA; (iv)assess how involuntary attentional capture influences feature- and schema-driven ASA. All studies will include adults with normal hearing and measurements of neuroelectric brain activity while participants are presented with a virtual auditory environment. We will use familiar and unfamiliar material and will manipulate task instructions and acoustic parameters such as timbre and location to influence the separation and identification of distinct sound objects. The proposed research will advance theories of attention and ASA by revealing under what conditions schema-driven ASA influences how spectral and temporal properties of sounds are bound together into sound object representations. Determining the balance between feature- and schema-driven ASA will help to develop training programs targeted towards improving listening skills in normal hearing as well as individuals with brain damage, hearing loss, and other medical conditions such as deficits in attentional regulation and executive functions. Lastly, this research will be transformative by demonstrating that soundscape perception is first and foremost guided by top-down processes.