Attend to the left, attend to the right: How to modulate voluntary orienting of attention
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1
Ghent University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Belgium
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2
Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium, Belgium
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3
Institute of Neuroscience and Cognition, University Paris-Descartes, France
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4
University of Padova, Italy
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5
Universiteit Gent, Belgium
The commonsense intuition suggests the existence of specific cognitive mechanisms allowing a rapid and efficient exploration of the environment. In two experiments we studied the factors modulating the voluntary shift of attention in space, the so-called endogenous orienting of attention.
The tasks required to orient attention towards the left or the right side according to a change in the color of a centrally-presented fixation point. In a first task we manipulated, unbeknown to participants, cue predictivity (frequency of target appearing on the side suggested by the cue) from 50% to 90% (and viceversa). As dependent variable we measured the variation in the cueing effect (advantage of valid versus invalid trials) resulting from the changes in cue predictivity. In a second experiment we applied a neurostimulation technique (dual tDCS) to modulate the orienting performance. Anode was positioned over the left and cathode over the right parietal cortex, or viceversa.
The results of the first experiment show that cueing effects were related to cue predictivity and, more precisely to the predictivity level resulting the preceding trials. Moreover, we newly showed that reliable orienting of spatial attention can also be found using non-predictive and non-directional cues. The cueing effects were already present at short cue-target intervals suggesting the co-occurrence of automatic processes once allowing voluntary ones to be more rapidly implemented, and were relatively independent from individual awareness. The effects of tDCS in the second experiment were analysed according to stimulation position, side of appearance of the target, and temporal interval between cue and target. Methodological implications for the rehabilitation of the neuropsychological syndrome called visuospatial neglect are discussed.
Relevance: Understanding which parameters influence the way people orient attention in space is crucial for both clinical and methodological reasons. From a clinical point of view it allows to better understand how stroke patients with disorders in spatial processing (hemispatial neglect) can be helped. From a methodological point of view it allows to provide appropriate methods for cognitive neuroscience, including neuroimaging.
Acknowledgements
MB is supported by a FWO Pegasus Marie Curie Fellowship
LB is supported by a FP7 Marie Curie Fellowship
Keywords:
spatial attention,
endogenous orienting,
tDCS,
Neuromodulation,
posner cueing
Conference:
Belgian Brain Council 2014
MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE, Ghent, Belgium, 4 Oct - 4 Oct, 2014.
Presentation Type:
Poster Presentation
Topic:
Basic Neuroscience
Citation:
Bonato
M,
Bardi
L,
Andres
M,
Lisi
M,
Pegoraro
S,
Pourtois
G and
Fias
W
(2014). Attend to the left, attend to the right: How to modulate voluntary orienting of attention.
Conference Abstract:
Belgian Brain Council 2014
MODULATING THE BRAIN: FACTS, FICTION, FUTURE.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2014.214.00054
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Received:
01 Jul 2014;
Published Online:
13 Jul 2014.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Mario Bonato, Ghent University, Department of Experimental Psychology, Ghent, B9000, Belgium, mario.bonato@unipd.it