Notes: 1. Extra Credit – Assignment 5 Due December Last exam December 10 Announcement and instructions on Class communication page 3. Spatial Abilities test

22 “Attention and Consciousness” Human Neuropsychology (486 / 686) Lecture Chapter 22.

Defining Attention and Consciousness Attention - Selective awareness of a part of the environment Attention - Selective awareness of a part of the environment - problems Consciousness – Global awareness Consciousness – Global awareness - levels of awareness

Attention Automatic Processing Automatic Processing - Bottom-up - Bottom-up - doesn’t require attention Conscious Processing Conscious Processing - Top-down - “controlled, effortful, attentive”

Treisman’s Model of Feature Search

Neurophysiological Evidence of Attention Effect of attention on neuronal activation Effect of attention on neuronal activation

Neurophysiological Evidence of Attention Divided Attention – Attention is a limited capacity that must be allocated Divided Attention – Attention is a limited capacity that must be allocated Selective Attention – Increased attention can change neuron response properties Selective Attention – Increased attention can change neuron response properties i.e. orientation tuning, firing rate

Neurophysiological Evidence of Attention Parallel processing - Parallel processing - Crossmodal - - Divided attention recruits frontal cortex

Functional Imaging Studies fMRI fMRI PET PET

Networks of Attention Two Attentional Systems Two Attentional SystemsPosterior: Parietal regions – Engage, Disengage and move attention from one location Temporal Regions - Detection of features and objects Anterior : Frontal Lobes – activate posterior attentional systems.

Inattention Inattentional Blindness – Inattentional Blindness – Change Blindness Change Blindness =related =related Attentional Blink Attentional Blink nk.html nk.html

Consciousness Varies across the lifespan and varies across the day Varies across the lifespan and varies across the day Evolutionarily Adaptive Evolutionarily Adaptive Collection of processes - Arousal, Perception, Attention, Working Memory Collection of processes - Arousal, Perception, Attention, Working Memory Neural Correlates - Binding Problem Neural Correlates - Binding Problem Cortical connections Reentry and integration Neural Synchronization