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Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments
Published on: January 23, 2017
Visual context and practice change the distribution of attention in touch
Roberta D Roberts1, Glyn W Humphreys1
1School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK.
Brain Research
|July 6, 2010
Summary
Spatial attention in touch is dynamic. Tactile attention is more efficient with greater arm separation, but this effect is temporary and requires visual cues, suggesting attention adapts to changing spatial coordinates.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Somatosensory Research
Background:
- Tactile attention is difficult to localize to one hand when both are touched, especially when close.
- Evidence suggests skin sensations are perceived in external space, not just on the body.
- Limited research exists on how arm separation affects tactile attention distribution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of the arm separation effect on tactile attention.
- To examine how varying visual information and testing over time influence this effect.
Main Methods:
- Experiments measured tactile selection performance with different arm separations.
- Performance was assessed over two sessions with and without visual arm location information.
Main Results:
- Tactile selection was more efficient when hands were far apart versus adjacent.
- This 'arm separation effect' was transient, appearing only in the first session.
- The effect was observed only when participants had their eyes open.
Conclusions:
- Somatosensory attention is a flexible and dynamic process.
- Attentional coordinates can adapt and change over time.
- Visual information plays a role in the spatial distribution of tactile attention.
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