PS2111: Selective Attention in Psychology

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Questions and Answers

Which component of the FPAN model is responsible for integrating and weighting bottom-up and top-down information?

Action

Selection (correct)

Comprehension

Audition

What is the main difference in attentional processing between young and old observers in terms of coherent motion?

Old observers are more sensitive to coherent motion

Old observers have a faster response to coherent motion

Old observers have a similar sensitivity to coherent motion

Old observers are less sensitive to coherent motion (correct)

What is the primary effect of top-down modulation on SSVEP amplitude in older adults?

Significantly decreases the amplitude (correct)

Has a negligible effect on the amplitude

Has a variable effect on the amplitude

Significantly increases the amplitude

Which of the following cognitive processes is most affected by ageing and cognitive change?

Sensory acuity Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the frontoparietal attentional network (FPAN) model?

To facilitate attentional processing Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following references is related to the study of attentional components in older adults?

Konrad et al. (2005) Signup and view all the answers

What is a major contributor to the decline in visual search for conjunction targets in older observers?

Deficit in top-down prioritization of relevant features Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using Steady State Visual Evoked Potentials (SSVEP) in attentional research?

Ability to isolate top-down control from bottom-up processing Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary effect of ageing on attentional processing, according to the research?

Decline in top-down prioritization of relevant features Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between the neural mechanisms underlying attentional processing in young and older adults?

Young adults have a more efficient frontoparietal attentional network Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary factor contributing to the decline in sensory acuity in older adults?

Age-related changes in peripheral sensory systems Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using the pre-cue SSVEP amplitude paradigm in attentional research?

Ability to equate perceptual discriminability of stimuli Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of the Frontoparietal Attentional Network (FPAN) in selective attention?

To modulate top-down modulation of sensory input Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in alerting effects between children and adults, as shown by fMRI studies?

Adults show a larger alerting effect compared to children Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following cognitive changes is associated with ageing?

Reduced ability to select, process and solve problems Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of presbycusis and presbyopia on sensory acuity?

Reduced sensory acuity due to physiological changes Signup and view all the answers

Which brain region is more active in children compared to adults during reorienting attention?

Superior frontal gyrus Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in reorienting costs between children and adults?

Adults have a smaller reorienting cost compared to children Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the right temporoparietal cortex in attentional processing?

It is involved in reorienting attention Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of top-down modulation on sensory input in older adults?

It is reduced due to age-related decline Signup and view all the answers

What is the difference in interference effects between children and adults, as shown by fMRI studies?

Adults have a smaller interference effect compared to children Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between the development of top-down attentional processes and age?

Top-down attentional processes develop during maturation Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Selective Attention

Selective attention is essential for guided behavior and involves the integration of sensory information with cognition and action.

Sensory Systems

Selective attention involves the coordination of multiple sensory systems, including audition, olfaction, touch, and vision.

Development of Selective Attention

Enns and Brodeur (1989) investigated covert attention in children aged 6, 8, and 20 years using peripheral cues.
Results showed that:
- Children and adults automatically orient attention towards peripheral cues.
- RTs decreased with age.
- Costs associated with invalid cues decreased with age.
- RT for adults was faster to targets at valid locations for predictable but not unpredictable cues.
- RT for children was comparable to predictable and unpredictable cues.

Brain Development and Attention

Konrad et al. (2005) used fMRI to compare brain activation in children (8-12 years) and adults (20-34 years) during different components of attention.
Results showed that:
- Children showed a smaller alerting effect.
- Children showed a significantly larger invalid cost.
- Children showed a significantly larger interference effect.
- Activation in response to alerting, orienting, and executive attention in adults evidenced top-down modulation via frontoparietal attentional network (FPAN).
- Top-down modulation of sensory input by FPAN was less established in children.

Selective Attention and Ageing

Ageing is associated with physiological and cognitive changes.
Physiological changes reduce the acuity of sensory receptors (e.g., presbycusis and presbyopia).
Ageing also affects cognition, with changes in crystallized abilities (knowledge and vocabulary) and fluid abilities (processing speed, memory, and executive control).
Normal ageing and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) affect attentional abilities.

Testing Your Understanding

Can you assign the attentional components measured by Konrad et al. (2005) to:
- The functional components of the FPAN model?
- The anatomical components of the FPAN model?

References

Enns & Brodeur (1989). Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 48: 171-189.
Konrad et al. (2005). NeuroImage, 28: 429-439.
Stevens & Bavelier (2012). Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 2: S30-S48.
Ptak (2012). The Neuroscientist, 18: 502-515.
Murman (2015). Seminars in Hearing, 36: 111-121.
Müller et al. (2006). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, United States of America, 103: 14250-14254.
Quigley et al. (2010). Neuroscience Letters, 474: 58.
Cox et al. (2016). Nature Communications, 7: 1362.

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Description

Test your knowledge on selective attention, a crucial aspect of guided behavior, including its relation to sensory systems, memory, decision-making, and development across the life span.