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The Attentional Set Shifting Task: A Measure of Cognitive Flexibility in Mice
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Flexible attention system: Appearance time of split attention changes in accordance with the task difficulty level
Guangyao Zu1, Hanbin Sang2,3, Heng Zhou1
1Department of Psychology, Research Center for Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, Soochow University, Suzhou, China.
Attention, Perception & Psychophysics
|November 25, 2021
Summary
Spatial attention can divide into two separate points over time, not instantly. Increased task difficulty speeds up this attention division, showing flexibility in attentional modes.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Visual Attention
Background:
- Spatial attention is often viewed as a unitary focus.
- The split-attention hypothesis suggests attention can divide into noncontiguous locations.
- The temporal dynamics of attention division remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate if attention requires time to divide from a unitary focus.
- Examine how task difficulty influences the timing of split attention.
- Clarify the temporal characteristics of attentional allocation.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two salient spatial cues to direct participant attention.
- Manipulated stimulus-onset asynchrony (SOA) to measure temporal dynamics.
- Varied task difficulty across experimental conditions.
Main Results:
- Attention requires time to divide from a unitary focus.
- The area between cued locations was not ignored at a 60 ms SOA.
- Increased task difficulty led to earlier appearance of split attention.
Conclusions:
- Split attention exhibits temporal flexibility, adapting to task demands.
- Attention can operate in either a split or unitary mode, selected flexibly.
- Suggests common underlying mechanisms for both split and unitary attention.
