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Behavioural Brain Research Jan 2020In cognitive neuroscience, an extensive debate concerns the mechanisms of inhibition and the relationship between inhibitory and behavioural control. Since the proactive... (Review)
Review
In cognitive neuroscience, an extensive debate concerns the mechanisms of inhibition and the relationship between inhibitory and behavioural control. Since the proactive mode of inhibition was first described, several studies have aimed to distinguish this form of inhibitory control from the reactive one. In fact, according to the dualistic models of cognitive control, the two forms of inhibition regulate the action control. However, most of the studies in this field neglected the role of attention in response inhibition, as well as the role of inhibition as an executive function. In the present article, emerging evidence in favour of a unitary mechanism of inhibition is reviewed: recent observations suggest that inhibition represents a default mode of the human brain, and that inhibitory control should not be dissociated from attentional control. Accordingly, the so-called proactive and reactive inhibition might reflect the contribution of the sustained and selective attention in the implementation of the default inhibitory control, which might be more properly termed as attentional inhibitory control (AIC). Evidence of the integrated perspective of the AIC model is reviewed from the neural, cognitive and neuropsychological point of view. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.
Topics: Attention; Executive Function; Humans; Models, Biological; Proactive Inhibition; Reactive Inhibition
PubMed: 31539574
DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.112243 -
Psychophysiology Feb 2023Recently, numerous studies have revealed 4-12 Hz fluctuations of behavioral performance in a multitude of tasks. The majority has utilized stimuli near detection...
Recently, numerous studies have revealed 4-12 Hz fluctuations of behavioral performance in a multitude of tasks. The majority has utilized stimuli near detection threshold and observed related fluctuations in hit-rates, attributing these to perceptual or attentional processes. As neural oscillations in the 8-20 Hz range also feature prominently in cortical motor areas, they might cause fluctuations in the ability to induce responses, independent of attentional capabilities. Additionally, different effectors (e.g., the left versus right hand) might be cyclically prioritized in an alternating fashion, similar to the attentional sampling of distinct locations, objects, or memory templates. Here, we investigated these questions via a behavioral dense-sampling approach. Twenty-six participants performed a simple visual discrimination task using highly salient stimuli. We varied the interval between each motor response and the subsequent target from 330 to 1040 ms, and analyzed performance as a function of this interval. Our data show significant fluctuations of both RTs and sensitivity between 12.5 and 25 Hz, but no evidence for an alternating prioritization of left- versus right-hand responses. While our results suggest an impact of motor-related signals on performance oscillations, they might additionally be influenced by perceptual processes earlier in the processing hierarchy. In summary, we demonstrate that behavioral oscillations generalize to situations involving highly salient stimuli, closer to everyday life. Moreover, our work adds to the literature by showing fluctuations at a high speed, which might be a consequence of both low task difficulty and the involvement of sensorimotor rhythms.
Topics: Humans; Visual Perception; Attention; Motor Cortex
PubMed: 36040756
DOI: 10.1111/psyp.14172 -
Behaviour Research and Therapy Feb 2023Worry is a repetitive, negative thought process that is widely experienced as difficult to control. Despite the adverse effects of uncontrollable worry on academic and... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Worry is a repetitive, negative thought process that is widely experienced as difficult to control. Despite the adverse effects of uncontrollable worry on academic and other role functioning, the mechanisms by which worry becomes uncontrollable remain poorly understood. Previous experimental work has historically emphasized valence (negative versus positive or neutral). However, contemporary cognitive neuroscience also distinguishes between internally-directed attention (e.g., to thoughts) and externally-directed attention (e.g., to perceptual stimuli). To date, no studies have experimentally examined potential dissociable contributions of valence versus attentional direction to impaired disengagement from worry. In a 2 (negative or neutral valence) x 2 (internal or external attention) between-subjects, experimental and prospective design (https://osf.io/vdyfn/), participants (N = 200) completed alternating blocks of a randomly-assigned attention manipulation and validated sustained attention task. Participants also rated trait worry and distress during the experimental session (T1) and a naturalistic stressor (the week before finals; T2). There was a main effect, such that internally-directed attention impaired sustained attention (increased commission errors). Worry (internal x negative) also impaired sustained attention (faster and less accurate responding) in planned group contrasts. Trait worry did not moderate these effects. Sustained attention at T1 did not predict distress or worry during the T2 stressor. These findings augment the literature on the attentional consequences of worry and replicate and extend previous findings of altered speed-accuracy tradeoffs following experimentally-induced worry. We also find evidence for impaired disengagement from internally-directed (versus externally-directed) attention, which may help to explain impaired disengagement from related forms of perseverative thought (e.g., rumination).
Topics: Humans; Anxiety; Attention
PubMed: 36641981
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2022.104242 -
Anxiety, Stress, and Coping Jul 2022According to the Attentional Control Theory, individuals with high levels of anxiety often shift their attention inefficiently due to increased effort to meet task... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
According to the Attentional Control Theory, individuals with high levels of anxiety often shift their attention inefficiently due to increased effort to meet task demands. However, literature on the effects of anxiety on shifting performance is discrepant. This study examined the impacts of trait and state anxiety on attentional shifting and whether worry or depression explained variance in shifting.
DESIGN AND METHODS
One-hundred thirty-eight undergraduate psychology students were randomized to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) or control TSST. Subjects completed measures of state/trait anxiety, worry, and depression and a computerized attention task. Statistical analyses included linear mixed modelling (LMM), -tests, and ANOVAs.
RESULTS
Results revealed significant effects of state and trait anxiety and worry, but not depression. Type (location/direction) and presentation (switch/repeat) of trials also affected response times. Trait anxiety significantly related to trial presentation but did not interact with trial type. State anxiety did not significantly relate to either trial index. State and trait anxiety significantly impacted overall response time. Results revealed variations in cognitive flexibility, but no interactions between state and trait anxiety in predicting task switching.
CONCLUSION
These findings are discussed in the context of Attentional Control Theory and relevant empirical research.
Topics: Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders; Attention; Humans; Reaction Time; Students
PubMed: 34632875
DOI: 10.1080/10615806.2021.1983801 -
Journal of Anxiety Disorders Jan 2022Cognitive models have highlighted the role of attentional and memory biases towards negatively-valenced emotional stimuli in the maintenance of post-traumatic stress...
Cognitive models have highlighted the role of attentional and memory biases towards negatively-valenced emotional stimuli in the maintenance of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, previous research has focused mainly on attentional biases towards distracting (task-irrelevant) negative stimuli. Furthermore, attentional and memory biases have been examined in isolation and the links between them remain underexplored. We manipulated attention during encoding of trauma-unrelated negative and neutral words and examined the differential relationship of their encoding and recall with PTSD symptoms. Responders to the World Trade Center disaster (N = 392) performed tasks in which they read negative and neutral words and reported the color of another set of such words. Subsequently, participants used word stems to aid retrieval of words shown earlier. PTSD symptoms were associated with slower response times for negative versus neutral words in the word-reading task (r = 0.170) but not color-naming task. Furthermore, greater PTSD symptom severity was associated with more accurate recall of negative versus neutral words, irrespective of whether words were encoded during word-reading or color-naming tasks (F = 4.11, p = 0.044, η = 0.018). Our results show that PTSD symptoms in a trauma-exposed population are related to encoding of trauma-unrelated negative versus neutral stimuli only when attention was voluntarily directed towards the emotional aspects of the stimuli and to subsequent recall of negative stimuli, irrespective of attention during encoding.
Topics: Attention; Attentional Bias; Bias; Emotions; Humans; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic
PubMed: 34891061
DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102509 -
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Oct 2020Decades of research have provided evidence that object representations contribute to attentional selection. However, most evidence for object-based attentional...
Decades of research have provided evidence that object representations contribute to attentional selection. However, most evidence for object-based attentional allocation is drawn from studies employing the two-rectangle paradigm where the target distribution is biased towards the cued object. It is thus unclear whether object-based attentional selection is from object representations or a consequence of spatial attention based on statistical imbalances. Here, we investigate the extent to which target frequency modulates object-based attention by systematically manipulating the frequency of target appearance in a particular spatial location within objects to equate spatial allocation, bias specific spatial locations, or bias objects. In four experiments, participants were presented with a variant of the two-rectangle paradigm in which one end of a rectangle was cued and performed a target discrimination task. Critically, the target location probabilities were parametrically manipulated. The target could appear equally in all ends within the objects (valid, invalid within-object, invalid between-object, diagonal) (Experiment 1) or with overall equality between objects but biased towards the invalid locations (Experiment 2). The target could also appear in three locations (valid, invalid within-object, invalid between-object) distributed equally between objects but biased towards the invalid between-object location (Experiment 3) or with an overall bias towards the invalid between-object location (Experiment 4). We observed that while objects bias attention, spatial biases are prioritized over object representations. Combined results suggest that object-based contribution to attentional guidance is the result of both spatial probabilities and object representations.
Topics: Adult; Attention; Cues; Female; Humans; Male; Probability; Reaction Time; Space Perception; Visual Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 32495212
DOI: 10.3758/s13423-020-01746-3 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2020Spatial attention and spatial representation of time are strictly linked in the human brain. In young adults, a leftward shift of spatial attention by prismatic... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Spatial attention and spatial representation of time are strictly linked in the human brain. In young adults, a leftward shift of spatial attention by prismatic adaptation (PA), is associated with an underestimation whereas a rightward shift is associated with an overestimation of time both for visual and auditory stimuli. These results suggest a supra-modal representation of time left-to-right oriented that is modulated by a bilateral attentional shift. However, there is evidence of unilateral, instead of bilateral, effects of PA on time in elderly adults suggesting an influence of age on these effects. Here we studied the effects of spatial attention on time representation focusing on childhood. Fifty-four children aged from 5 to 11 years-old performed a temporal bisection task with visual and auditory stimuli before and after PA inducing a leftward or a rightward attentional shift. Results showed that children underestimated time after a leftward attentional shift either for visual or auditory stimuli, whereas a rightward attentional shift had null effect on time. Our results are discussed as a partial maturation of the link between spatial attention and time representation in childhood, due to immaturity of interhemispheric interactions or of executive functions necessary for the attentional complete influence on time representation.
Topics: Adaptation, Physiological; Attention; Child; Child, Preschool; Female; Functional Laterality; Humans; Male; Space Perception; Time Perception
PubMed: 32917922
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71541-6 -
Behaviour Research and Therapy Aug 2024Evidence supports a causal role of insomnia in the development and maintenance of depression, yet mechanisms underlying this association in young people are not well...
Evidence supports a causal role of insomnia in the development and maintenance of depression, yet mechanisms underlying this association in young people are not well established. Attention biases have been implicated separately in the sleep and depression fields and represents an important candidate mechanism. Poor sleep may lead to a negative attention bias (characteristic of depression) by impacting attentional control. This study assessed the hypothesis that attentional control and negative attention bias would sequentially mediate the relationship between insomnia and depressive symptoms in an unselected sample of young people (17-24 years). Concerns have been raised regarding the psychometric properties of tasks used to measure attention bias, and a Dual-Probe Task is emerging as a more reliable measure. Participants (N = 275, Male = 59, M = 19.40) completed the Dual-Probe Task, a behavioural measure of attentional control, and self-report measures of insomnia and depression. Participants completed a one-week sleep diary. Results were consistent with negative attention bias, but not attentional control, as a mechanism which partially accounts for the relationship between sleep (i.e., insomnia severity, sleep duration, sleep efficiency, sleep latency) and depression. This study highlights sleep and negative attention bias as potentially modifiable risk factors to reduce depressive symptoms in young people.
Topics: Humans; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Male; Female; Adolescent; Depression; Young Adult; Attentional Bias; Attention; Self Report
PubMed: 38761556
DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104569 -
Psychological Science Sep 2023A growing body of research has shown that simple choices involve the construction and comparison of values at the time of decision. These processes are modulated by...
A growing body of research has shown that simple choices involve the construction and comparison of values at the time of decision. These processes are modulated by attention in a way that leaves decision makers susceptible to attentional biases. Here, we studied the role of peripheral visual information on the choice process and on attentional choice biases. We used an eye-tracking experiment in which participants ( = 50 adults) made binary choices between food items that were displayed in marked screen "shelves" in two conditions: (a) where both items were displayed, and (b) where items were displayed only when participants fixated within their shelves. We found that removing the nonfixated option approximately doubled the size of the attentional biases. The results show that peripheral visual information is crucial in facilitating good decisions and suggest that individuals might be influenceable by settings in which only one item is shown at a time, such as e-commerce.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Attentional Bias; Fixation, Ocular; Attention; Bias; Choice Behavior
PubMed: 37470671
DOI: 10.1177/09567976231184878 -
Sleep Medicine Reviews Feb 2023Cognitive models of insomnia highlight internal and external cognitive-biases for sleep-related "threat" in maintaining the disorder. This systematic review of the... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Cognitive models of insomnia highlight internal and external cognitive-biases for sleep-related "threat" in maintaining the disorder. This systematic review of the sleep-related attentional and interpretive-bias literature includes meta-analytic calculations of each construct. Searches identified N = 21 attentional-bias and N = 8 interpretive-bias studies meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria. Seventeen attentional-bias studies compared normal-sleepers and poor-sleepers/insomnia patients. Using a random effects model, meta-analytic data based on standardized mean differences of attentional-bias studies determined the weighted pooled effect size to be moderate at 0.60 (95%CI:0.26-0.93). Likewise, seven of eight interpretive-bias studies involved group comparisons. Meta-analytic data determined the weighted pooled effect size as moderate at .44 (95%CI:0.19-0.69). Considering these outcomes, disorder congruent cognitive-biases appear to be a key feature of insomnia. Despite statistical support, absence of longitudinal data limits causal inference concerning the relative role cognitive-biases in the development and maintenance of insomnia. Methodological factors pertaining to task design, sample and stimuli are discussed in relation to outcome variation. Finally, we discuss the next steps in advancing the understanding of sleep-related biases in insomnia.
Topics: Humans; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders; Sleep; Attention; Attentional Bias; Bias
PubMed: 36459947
DOI: 10.1016/j.smrv.2022.101713