2. Levels of Sensory Processing

3. Somatosensory Cortex
Arm
Hand
Face

4. Attention!!
fMRI images of a subject cued to expect a stimulus in a particular portion of the visual field show right hemisphere activation in the cingulate cortex.

7. What is attention??
Traditional information processing views: Based on limits to simultaneous processing.
Mechanisms exist to filter, gate, select or inhibit.
Prevailing view for years: Bottleneck
A basic conversion from massive parallel input to a limited or serial processing mode.

8. Sequel to information processing:
Hi degree of parallel processing
Flexible allocation of resources
Attention interacts with motor output.

9. Along came Posner and Boies
Attention is not a unitary phenomenon.
Alertness or Readiness to take in information (concentration, vigilence)
Selective Attention – search a display or an environment for a particular target.
A. SPATIAL ATTENTION (3 components). Covert and overt.

10. “Attentional Stimuli”
Are responded to more rapidly
Give rise to an increase or a decrease in neuronal responses
Have signature ERPs (P300, N200, N400)
Can be reported with a lower threshold of occurence
Will be remembered better

11. Attentional Stimuli - continued
Increased learning of the stimulus
A bias to respond to that stimulus
Note – many behavioral indications involve change in accuracy and latency. The pattern of change is taken as an indication of attention or NOT.

22. Impaired Response Inhibition
Stroop

23. Purple
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24. Purple
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Yellow
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Orange
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Blue
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Yellow
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Orange
Purple