Reflexive Attention Modulates Processing of Visual Stimuli in Human Extrastriate Cortex

Attention can be oriented reflexively to a location in space by an abrupt change in the visual scene. In the present study, we investigated the consequences of reflexive attention on the neural processing of visual stimuli. The findings show that reflexively oriented attention produces modulations i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychological science 1998-11, Vol.9 (6), p.441-447
Main Authors: Hopfinger, Joseph B., Mangun, George R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Brain
Electrodes
Eyes & eyesight
Memory interference
Mental stimulation
Physiological stimulation
Reflexes
Scalp
Selective attention
Visual cortex
Visual perception
Visual processing
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Attention can be oriented reflexively to a location in space by an abrupt change in the visual scene. In the present study, we investigated the consequences of reflexive attention on the neural processing of visual stimuli. The findings show that reflexively oriented attention produces modulations in early sensory analysis at the same extrastriate neural locus as the earliest effects of voluntarily focused attention. In addition, stimulus processing was found to be enhanced at later stages of analysis, which reflect stimulus relevance. As is the case with behavioral measures of reflexive attention, these physiological enhancement effects are rapidly engaged but short-lived. As time passes between the initial attention-capturing event and subsequent stimuli, the extrastriate effect reverses, and the enhancement of higher order processing subsides. These findings indicate that reflexive attention is able to affect perceptions of the visual world by modulating neural processing as early as extrastriate visual cortex.
ISSN:0956-7976
1467-9280
DOI:10.1111/1467-9280.00083