scholarly journals Contextually-Based Social Attention Diverges across Covert and Overt Measures

Vision ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Effie J. Pereira ◽  
Elina Birmingham ◽  
Jelena Ristic
Keyword(s):  
Covert Attention ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Visual Context ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Oculomotor Behavior ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Manual Responses ◽  
Previous Location ◽  
Central Fixation ◽  
Response Target

Humans spontaneously attend to social cues like faces and eyes. However, recent data show that this behavior is significantly weakened when visual content, such as luminance and configuration of internal features, as well as visual context, such as background and facial expression, are controlled. Here, we investigated attentional biasing elicited in response to information presented within appropriate background contexts. Using a dot-probe task, participants were presented with a face–house cue pair, with a person sitting in a room and a house positioned within a picture hanging on a wall. A response target occurred at the previous location of the eyes, mouth, top of the house, or bottom of the house. Experiment 1 measured covert attention by assessing manual responses while participants maintained central fixation. Experiment 2 measured overt attention by assessing eye movements using an eye tracker. The data from both experiments indicated no evidence of spontaneous attentional biasing towards faces or facial features in manual responses; however, an infrequent, though reliable, overt bias towards the eyes of faces emerged. Together, these findings suggest that contextually-based social information does not determine spontaneous social attentional biasing in manual measures, although it may act to facilitate oculomotor behavior.

scholarly journals The effects of endogenous and exogenus orienting of attention on source memory

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 80-89
Author(s):  
Selene Cansino
Keyword(s):  
Eye Movements ◽  
Episodic Memory ◽  
Source Memory ◽  
Memory Task ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Memory Representations ◽  
The Right ◽  
Symbolic Cues

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of endogenous and exogenous orienting of attention on episodic memory. Thirty healthy participants performed a cueing attention paradigm during encoding, in which images of common objects were presented either to the left or to the right of the center of the screen. Before the presentation of each image, three types of symbolic cues were displayed to indicate the location in which the stimuli would appear: valid cues to elicit endogenous orientation, invalid cues to prompt exogenous orientation and neutral or uncued trials. The participants’ task was to discriminate whether the images were symmetrical or not while fixating on the center of the screen to assure the manifestation of only covert attention mechanisms. Covert attention refers to the ability to orient attention by means of central control mechanisms alone, without head and eye movements. Trials with eye movements were excluded after inspection of eye-tracker recordings that were conducted throughout the task. During retrieval, participants conducted a source memory task in which they indicated the location where the images were presented during encoding. Memory for spatial context was superior during endogenous orientation than during exogenous orientation, whereas exogenous orientation was associated with a greater number of missed responses compared to the neutral trials. The formation of episodic memory representations with contextual details benefits from endogenous attention.

scholarly journals Entorhinal cortex receptive fields are modulated by spatial attention, even without movement

eLife ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Wilming ◽  
Peter König ◽  
Seth König ◽  
Elizabeth A Buffalo
Keyword(s):  
Entorhinal Cortex ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Receptive Fields ◽  
Grid Cell ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Grid Cells ◽  
Physical Movement ◽  
Mental Operations ◽  
Triangular Tiling ◽  
Central Fixation

Grid cells in the entorhinal cortex allow for the precise decoding of position in space. Along with potentially playing an important role in navigation, grid cells have recently been hypothesized to make a general contribution to mental operations. A prerequisite for this hypothesis is that grid cell activity does not critically depend on physical movement. Here, we show that movement of covert attention, without any physical movement, also elicits spatial receptive fields with a triangular tiling of space. In monkeys trained to maintain central fixation while covertly attending to a stimulus moving in the periphery we identified a significant population (20/141, 14% neurons at a FDR <5%) of entorhinal cells with spatially structured receptive fields. This contrasts with recordings obtained in the hippocampus, where grid-like representations were not observed. Our results provide evidence that neurons in macaque entorhinal cortex do not rely on physical movement.

scholarly journals Sex differences in facial scanning: Similarities and dissimilarities between infants and adults

2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Rennels ◽  
Andrew J. Cummings
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Face Recognition ◽  
Age Differences ◽  
Emotional Expressions ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Facial Information ◽  
Facial Scanning ◽  
Sex And Age Differences ◽  
Better Than

When face processing studies find sex differences, male infants appear better at face recognition than female infants, whereas female adults appear better at face recognition than male adults. Both female infants and adults, however, discriminate emotional expressions better than males. To investigate if sex and age differences in facial scanning might account for these processing discrepancies, 3–4-month-olds, 9–10-month-olds, and adults viewed faces presented individually while an eye tracker recorded eye movements. Regardless of age, males shifted fixations between internal and external facial features more than females, suggesting more holistic processing. Females shifted fixations between internal facial features more than males, suggesting more second-order relational processing, which may explain females’ emotion discrimination advantage. Older male infants made more fixations than older female infants. Female adults made more fixations for shorter fixation durations than male adults. Male infants and female adults’ greater encoding of facial information may explain their face recognition advantage.

scholarly journals Differential impact of disfiguring facial features on overt and covert attention

2018 ◽  
Vol 190 ◽  
pp. 122-134
Author(s):  
Luc Boutsen ◽  
Nathan A. Pearson ◽  
Martin Jüttner
Keyword(s):  
Covert Attention ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Differential Impact

Looking in the eyes to discriminate

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jantina Bolhuis ◽  
Thorsten Kolling ◽  
Monika Knopf
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Social Cues ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Familiar Face ◽  
Facial Stimuli ◽  
The Face ◽  
Direct Linkage ◽  
Subsequent Discrimination

Studies showed that individual differences in encoding speed as well as looking behaviour during the encoding of facial stimuli can relate to differences in subsequent face discrimination. Nevertheless, a direct linkage between encoding speed and looking behaviour during the encoding of facial stimuli and the role of these encoding characteristics for subsequent discrimination has not been investigated yet. In the present habituation study, an eye-tracker was used to investigate how individual differences in encoding speed (number of habituation trials) relate to individual differences in looking behaviour on faces and the internal facial features (eyes, nose, and mouth) during encoding as well as discrimination. Forty infants habituated to a photograph of a female face. In a subsequent dishabituation phase, a new face was followed by the familiar one. As expected, the results showed that most of the infants were able to habituate to the face and that they managed to discriminate between the new and the familiar face. Furthermore, correlations and analyses of variance showed that individual differences in encoding during habituation related to differences in looking behaviour during habituation as well as dishabituation. Slower-habituating infants could better discriminate between the new and the familiar face and showed a higher interest in the eyes during habituation as well as dishabituation than faster-habituating infants. These data underline that individual differences in encoding speed relate to individual differences in looking behaviour and that increased looking behaviour to important social cues might help subsequent discrimination.

Effects of Form Familiarity on Perception of Words, Pseudowords, and Nonwords in the Two Cerebral Hemispheres

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 537-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy R. Jordan ◽  
Michelle Redwood ◽  
Geoffrey R. Patching
Keyword(s):  
Substantial Effect ◽  
Cerebral Hemispheres ◽  
Word Perception ◽  
Perceptual Process ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Hemispheric Processing ◽  
Similar Extent ◽  
Mixed Case ◽  
Central Fixation

Previous investigations of hemispheric processes of word perception provide a mixed picture of the sensitivity of each hemisphere to the familiarity of the visual form of lateralized displays. We investigated this issue by presenting words, pseudowords, and nonwords briefly to either the left (LH) or right (RH) hemisphere in lowercase, uppercase, and a matched, unfamiliar mixed-case form, and used an eye tracker to ensure central fixation and the Reicher–Wheeler task to suppress influences of stimulus asymmetry. Familiarity of form exerted a substantial effect on perception. In particular, perception of LH and RH displays of words, pseudowords, and nonwords was least accurate for mixed case, intermediate for upper case, and most accurate for lowercase. However, form had no effect on the LH advantage observed for words, pseudowords, and nonwords, indicating that form affected processing in both hemispheres to a similar extent. Moreover, LH and RH displays both showed that mixed case disrupted performance most for words, and more for pseudowords than for nonwords, indicating the sensitivity to form shown by each hemisphere reflected more than a general perceptual process. Implications for the role of form familiarity in hemispheric processing of words are discussed.

Intranasal oxytocin increases covert attention to positive social cues

2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (8) ◽  
pp. 1747-1753 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Domes ◽  
M. Sibold ◽  
L. Schulze ◽  
A. Lischke ◽  
S. C. Herpertz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Visual Attention ◽  
Facial Expressions ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Dot Probe ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Attentional Processes ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Presentation Time

BackgroundThe neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has positive effects on the processing of emotional stimuli such as facial expressions. To date, research has focused primarily on conditions of overt visual attention.MethodWe investigated whether a single intranasal dose of OT (24 IU) would modulate the allocation of attentional resources towards positive and negative facial expressions using a dot-probe paradigm in a sample of 69 healthy men. Attentional capacity for these facial cues was limited by presentation time (100 or 500 ms). In addition, we controlled for overt visual attention by recording eye movements using a remote eye tracker.ResultsReaction times (RTs) in the dot-probe paradigm revealed a pronounced shift of attention towards happy facial expressions presented for 100 ms after OT administration, whereas there were no OT-induced effects for longer presentation times (500 ms). The results could not be attributed to modulations of overt visual attention as no substance effects on gazes towards the facial target were observed.ConclusionsThe results suggest that OT increased covert attention to happy faces, thereby supporting the hypothesis that OT modulates early attentional processes that might promote prosocial behavior.

scholarly journals Differential impact of disfiguring facial features on overt and covert attention

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Boutsen ◽  
Nathan A. Pearson ◽  
Martin Juttner
Keyword(s):  
Covert Attention ◽  
Facial Features ◽  
Rating Task ◽  
Visual Salience ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
Overt Attention ◽  
Eye Fixations ◽  
The Face ◽  
Skin Discoloration ◽  
Unfamiliar Faces

Observers can form negative impressions about faces that contain disfiguring features (e.g., scars). Previous research suggests that this might be due to the ability of disfiguring features to capture attention — as evidenced by contrasting observers' responses to faces with or without disfiguring features. This, however, confounds theeffects of salience and perceptual interpretation, i.e. whether the feature is seen as integral to the face, or separate from it. Furthermore, it remains unclear to what extent disfiguring features influence covert as well as overt attention. We addressed these issues by studying attentional effects by photographs of unfamiliar faces containing a unilateral disfigurement (a skin discoloration) or a visually similar control feature that was partly occluding the face. Disfiguring and occluding features were first matched for salience (Experiment 1). Experiments 2 and 3 assessed the effect of these features on covert attention in two cueing tasks involving discrimination of a (validly or invalidly cued) target in the presence of, respectively, a peripheral or central distractor face. In both conditions, disfigured and occluded faces did not differ significantly in their impact on response-time costs following invalid cues. In Experiment 4 we compared overt attention to these faces by analysing patterns of eye fixations during an attractiveness rating task. Critically, faces with disfiguring features attracted more fixations on the eyes and incurred a higher number of recurrent fixations compared to faces with salience-matched occluding features. Together, these results suggest a differential impact of disfiguring facial features on overt and covert attention, which is mediated both by the visual salience of such features and by their perceptual interpretation.

Does Probe RT Measure Central Processing Demand?

1978 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McLeod
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Processing Capacity ◽  
Main Task ◽  
Match Task ◽  
Central Processing ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Manual Responses ◽  
Processing Demands ◽  
Single Form ◽  
Auditory Probe

Various authors have tried to assess the processing demands of a range of tasks by presenting a probe at different times during their performance. The assumption behind the technique is that the more processing capacity the main task requires the less will be left for processing the probe. Hence, it is claimed, the reaction time to the probe can be used to infer the capacity demands of the main task. An experiment is reported in which two groups of women combine manual responses to a visual Same/Different letter-match task with responding to an auditory probe. The only difference between the groups is that one responds manually to the probe and the other responds vocally. The two groups produce an entirely different pattern of interaction between the two tasks. Were there an absolute central demand of the letter-match task which could be measured by the probe technique this should appear irrespective of the form of the probe task. Since the pattern of probe RTs does depend on the form of the response to the probe it is concluded that it is not possible to use a single form of probe task as a neutral measure of the central capacity demand of the main task.

scholarly journals Attentional Orienting in Front and Rear Spaces in a Virtual Reality Discrimination Task

Vision ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3
Author(s):  
Rébaï Soret ◽  
Pom Charras ◽  
Christophe Hurter ◽  
Vsevolod Peysakhovich
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Discrimination Task ◽  
Response Times ◽  
Target Identification ◽  
Covert Attention ◽  
Attentional Orienting ◽  
Eye Tracker ◽  
Reality Discrimination

Recent studies on covert attention suggested that the visual processing of information in front of us is different, depending on whether the information is present in front of us or if it is a reflection of information behind us (mirror information). This difference in processing suggests that we have different processes for directing our attention to objects in front of us (front space) or behind us (rear space). In this study, we investigated the effects of attentional orienting in front and rear space consecutive of visual or auditory endogenous cues. Twenty-one participants performed a modified version of the Posner paradigm in virtual reality during a spaceship discrimination task. An eye tracker integrated into the virtual reality headset was used to make sure that the participants did not move their eyes and used their covert attention. The results show that informative cues produced faster response times than non-informative cues but no impact on target identification was observed. In addition, we observed faster response times when the target occurred in front space rather than in rear space. These results are consistent with an orienting cognitive process differentiation in the front and rear spaces. Several explanations are discussed. No effect was found on subjects’ eye movements, suggesting that participants did not use their overt attention to improve task performance.

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