Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Visual System01:26

Visual System

1.6K
Light enters the eye through the cornea, a transparent, dome-shaped surface covering the surface of the eyeball that helps to direct and focus incoming light. This light is then channeled toward the pupil, an adjustable opening whose size is controlled by the iris. The iris, a pigmented muscle, regulates the amount of light entering the eye by contracting or dilating the pupil, thereby ensuring optimal light levels for clear vision.
Once through the pupil, the light passes through the lens, a...
1.6K
Vision01:24

Vision

59.3K
Vision is the result of light being detected and transduced into neural signals by the retina of the eye. This information is then further analyzed and interpreted by the brain. First, light enters the front of the eye and is focused by the cornea and lens onto the retina—a thin sheet of neural tissue lining the back of the eye. Because of refraction through the convex lens of the eye, images are projected onto the retina upside-down and reversed.
59.3K
Parallel Processing01:20

Parallel Processing

626
The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...
626
Association Areas of the Cortex01:21

Association Areas of the Cortex

8.8K
Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have a specific sensory or motor function. Instead, they integrate and interpret information from various sources to enable higher cognitive processes such as memory, learning, and decision-making. Some key association areas include the following:
Prefrontal Association Area: This area is located in the frontal lobe and is involved in planning, decision-making, and moderating social behavior. It connects with primary motor areas,...
8.8K
Anatomy of the Eyeball01:20

Anatomy of the Eyeball

9.4K
The eye is a spherical, hollow structure composed of three tissue layers. The outer layer — the fibrous tunic, comprises the sclera — a white structure — and the cornea, which is transparent. The sclera encompasses some of the ocular surface, most of which is not visible. However, the 'white of the eye' is distinctively visible in humans compared to other species. The cornea, a clear covering at the front of the eye, enables light penetration. The eye's middle...
9.4K
Gestalt Principles of Perception01:21

Gestalt Principles of Perception

1.0K
Gestalt principles provide a framework for understanding how humans perceive objects as unified wholes within their context. These principles are essential in explaining the cognitive processes that make sense of complex visual stimuli by organizing them into coherent groups. One fundamental principle is proximity, which posits that objects located close to each other are perceived as a collective group. For instance, when dots are positioned near one another, the visual system interprets them...
1.0K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Shape-similarity gain: A selection profile for simple objects.

Attention, perception & psychophysics·2026
Same author

Distinct spatial patterns of flanker interference differentiate visual crowding from flanker compatibility effects in the Eriksen task.

Journal of experimental psychology. Human perception and performance·2026
Same author

The effect of 6 Hz transcranial alternating current stimulation over the prefrontal cortex on reward learning in men with methamphetamine use disorder: A pilot randomised double-blind trial.

General psychiatry·2026
Same author

Neurocognitive Processing of Facial Emotion Recognition in Individuals With Depression and Suicidal Ideation: An Eye-Tracking and EEG Study.

Alpha psychiatry·2026
Same author

Speech feature identification model for depressed individuals with suicidal ideation based on autobiographical memory.

BMC psychiatry·2025
Same author

Dual-format attentional template during preparation in human visual cortex.

eLife·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
06:46

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

7.5K

Preparatory Attention to Visual Features Spreads Globally.

Melisa Menceloglu1, Søren K Andersen2, Taosheng Liu3

  • 1Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824 mencelo1@msu.edu.

The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience
|January 12, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Preparatory attention to visual features spreads globally even before a stimulus appears, supporting its role in guiding visual search. This global spread of feature-based attention suggests a unified top-down control mechanism.

Keywords:
EEGfeature-based attentionpreparatory attentionsteady-state visual evoked potentialsvisual attention

More Related Videos

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
05:36

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

7.9K
How to Build a Dichoptic Presentation System That Includes an Eye Tracker
05:48

How to Build a Dichoptic Presentation System That Includes an Eye Tracker

Published on: September 6, 2017

8.9K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 14, 2026

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
06:46

Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity

Published on: March 18, 2019

7.5K
Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention
05:36

Central and Divided Visual Field Presentation of Emotional Images to Measure Hemispheric Differences in Motivated Attention

Published on: November 16, 2017

7.9K
How to Build a Dichoptic Presentation System That Includes an Eye Tracker
05:48

How to Build a Dichoptic Presentation System That Includes an Eye Tracker

Published on: September 6, 2017

8.9K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Visual Attention
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Feature-based attention enhances neural responses to both relevant and irrelevant stimuli sharing attended features.
  • This global facilitation is assumed to guide visual search but has primarily been observed during active stimulus selection.
  • The role of preparatory attention in enabling global feature spread for guided search remains empirically unconfirmed.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if global feature-based attention spreads during preparatory attention, prior to stimulus presentation.
  • To provide empirical support for the role of global feature spread in guiding visual search.
  • To explore the common origin of top-down control signals for feature-based attention.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded electroencephalography (EEG) from 20 observers viewing flickering blue and orange dot fields.
  • Utilized immediate-onset and delayed-onset conditions where attended stimuli appeared simultaneously or after a delay.
  • Analyzed frequency-specific visual-evoked responses to assess local and global attention effects.

Main Results:

  • Confirmed typical local and global feature-based attention effects in the immediate-onset condition.
  • Observed a significant global attention effect during the preparatory period in the delayed-onset condition.
  • Found positive correlations between local/global effects and preparatory attention/active selection.

Conclusions:

  • Preparatory attention to features operates globally, even without a physical stimulus, supporting its role in guided visual search.
  • The findings suggest a unified top-down control signal underlies both preparatory and active selection processes.
  • This study bridges the gap between feature-based attention mechanisms and their function in guiding visual search.