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Covert and overt voluntary attention: linked or independent?
Amelia R Hunt1, Alan Kingstone
1Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, 2136 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T 1Z4. AmeliaHunt@imag.net
Brain Research. Cognitive Brain Research
|December 9, 2003
Summary
Voluntary attention shifts, both with eye movements (overt orienting) and without (covert orienting), can be dissociated. This finding supports theories where reflexive and voluntary attention processes share common neural pathways.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Visual Attention
Background:
- Recent evidence suggests reflexive spatial attention shifts (overt vs. covert orienting) are dissociable.
- Understanding the mechanisms of voluntary attention is crucial for cognitive theories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether voluntary shifts in spatial attention, like reflexive shifts, can be dissociated between overt (with eye movements) and covert (without eye movements) orienting.
- To test the convergence of bottom-up and top-down attention processes on shared neural substrates.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of voluntary spatial attention cues.
- Measurement of behavioral responses and/or eye movements to assess overt and covert orienting.
- Analysis of reaction times and accuracy to determine dissociations.
Main Results:
- A dissociation was observed between voluntary overt and covert attention shifts.
- Behavioral data indicated distinct processing for voluntary attention depending on eye movement involvement.
Conclusions:
- Voluntary spatial attention, encompassing both overt and covert orienting, can be dissociated.
- This dissociation supports models where both reflexive (bottom-up) and voluntary (top-down) attention mechanisms converge on a common neural architecture.