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Social norm learning alters feature-based visual attention: Evidence from steady-state visual evoked potentials
Markus Germar1, Thorsten Albrecht2, Andreas Mojzisch1
1Institut fur Psychologie, University of Hildesheim.
Journal of Experimental Psychology. Human Perception and Performance
|September 28, 2023
Summary
Social norm learning persistently alters visual attention, enhancing focus on norm-congruent features. This attentional bias, demonstrated via steady-state visual evoked potentials, persists even after norm information is removed.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Social Psychology
- Visual Perception
Background:
- Social norm learning significantly influences perceptual decision-making.
- The underlying neural and attentional mechanisms remain incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms by which social norm learning affects perceptual decision-making.
- To propose and test the attentional alignment hypothesis, suggesting norm learning modulates feature-based visual attention.
Main Methods:
- Utilized steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs) to measure neural activity.
- Examined changes in feature-based visual attention following social norm learning.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that social norm learning persistently alters early attentional processes in the visual cortex.
- Found that attention was biased towards norm-congruent features and away from norm-incongruent features.
- Confirmed that this attentional bias remained even when norm information was no longer present.
Conclusions:
- Social norm learning reshapes visual attention, aligning it with learned norms.
- The attentional alignment hypothesis provides a mechanistic explanation for the persistent effects of social norms on perception.
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