Levels of Sensory Processing
Somatosensory Cortex
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Attention!!
fMRI images of a subject cued to expect a stimulus in a particular portion of the visual field show right hemisphere activation in the
cingulate cortex.
What is attention??
• Traditional information processing views: Based on limits to simultaneous processing.
• Mechanisms exist to filter, gate, select or inhibit.
• Prevailing view for years: Bottleneck
• A basic conversion from massive parallel input to a limited or serial processing mode.
Sequel to information processing:
• Hi degree of parallel processing
• Flexible allocation of resources
• Attention interacts with motor output.
Along came Posner and Boies
• Attention is not a unitary phenomenon.
• Alertness or Readiness to take in information (concentration, vigilence)
• Selective Attention – search a display or an environment for a particular target.
A. SPATIAL ATTENTION (3 components). Covert and overt.
“Attentional Stimuli”
• Are responded to more rapidly
• Give rise to an increase or a decrease in neuronal responses
• Have signature ERPs (P300, N200, N400)
• Can be reported with a lower threshold of occurence
• Will be remembered better
Attentional Stimuli - continued
• Increased learning of the stimulus
• A bias to respond to that stimulus
• Note – many behavioral indications involve change in accuracy and latency. The pattern of change is taken as an indication of attention or NOT.
Impaired Response Inhibition
• Stroop
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