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A Direct Comparison of Spatial Attention and Stimulus-Response Compatibility between Mice and Humans
Ulf H Schnabel1, Tobias Van der Bijl1, Pieter R Roelfsema1,2,3
1Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 27, 2021
Summary
Mice and humans show differences in visual attention and stimulus-response compatibility due to strategy variations. Mice exhibit stronger stimulus-response compatibility and weaker attention effects, unlike humans, impacting cognitive research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Comparative Psychology
Background:
- Mice are increasingly used to study visual processing and cognition.
- Validating mouse models requires comparing their performance to humans on similar tasks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare spatial attention and stimulus-response compatibility in mice and humans using a visual task.
- To understand how species-specific response strategies influence cognitive effects.
Main Methods:
- Mice and humans performed a visual task judging grating orientation.
- Stimulus probability was varied to induce spatial attention shifts.
- Response times and accuracy were analyzed for attentional and Simon effects.
Main Results:
- Humans showed typical attention effects (faster, more accurate with higher probability).
- Mice displayed attention effects only with slow responses; stimulus-response compatibility was stronger.
- Both species exhibited a speed-accuracy trade-off, but mice's fast responses modulated effects.
Conclusions:
- Spatial attention and stimulus-response compatibility influence both species.
- Differences in response strategies (speed) explain the dominance of these effects in mice versus humans.
- Mouse models offer insights but require careful consideration of species-specific response characteristics.
