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A reassessment of the pseudoneglect effect: Attention allocation systems are selectively engaged by semantic and
Oliver J Gray1, Martyn McFarquhar1, Daniela Montaldi1
1Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|December 3, 2020
Summary
Healthy individuals show a rightward attention bias during object processing, distinct from the typical leftward bias in line tasks. This finding highlights the role of semantic processing in spatial attention allocation.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Healthy individuals exhibit systematic spatial attention biases.
- The right hemisphere's frontoparietal attention network typically directs more attention leftward (pseudoneglect).
- Existing models do not fully account for attention biases during object processing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate a previously unrecognized rightward attention bias associated with semantic object processing.
- To differentiate attention biases between line bisection and object bisection tasks.
- To explore the neural mechanisms and lateralization of object-based attention.
Main Methods:
- Object bisection task to measure attention bias.
- Experiment 2: Using object-like shapes with varying recognizability.
- Experiment 3: Object-based adaptation of the landmark task to assess temporal dynamics.
Main Results:
- A significant rightward attention bias was observed during object bisection, distinct from the leftward bias in line bisection.
- Attention bias varied with object recognizability, falling between line and object biases.
- Evidence supports semantic processing and left hemisphere lateralization as drivers of the rightward bias.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a novel rightward attention bias linked to semantic object processing.
- This bias is lateralized in the left hemisphere, contrasting with the pseudoneglect effect.
- Findings necessitate a revised understanding of spatial attention, incorporating semantic influences in complex environments.
