Exam 7: Attention

In general, it could be said that ___________________ areas tend to be involved with the control of attention, whereas __________________ areas are affected by attention.

What is the neurological syndrome known as neglect? Describe the typical symptoms and associated brain regions. How does complete neglect differ from extinction?

One finding demonstrated by the Posner spatial cuing task (1980) is that

________ refers to the ability to choose certain sensory inputs for further information processing while ignoring others.

In visual search tasks, the amount of time it takes to find a target among distracters is independent of the number of distracters if the target can be identified by a single feature.

To explain dichotic listening findings such as the observation that a participant usually notices when his or her own name is embedded in the ignored channel, Treisman (1969) proposed that

You are walking down the street and talking to a friend when suddenly, a car screeches its tires, causing you to turn and look toward the sound. This is an example of _____ attention.

Which of the following phenomena is the most consciously mediated?

Techniques such as EEG are particularly well suited to studies of attention. However, one difficulty in using these techniques is that

The primary functional problem that results from damage to the attentional network and that produces neglect syndrome is that patients

You are working diligently in the chemistry laboratory when suddenly a small explosion occurs in the rear of the room, immediately and automatically capturing your attention. This is an example of

Why isn't the neuropsychology of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) typically studied as a model to understand the anatomy of attention networks?

If a patient were demonstrating characteristics of unilateral neglect, which of the following would best explain the patient's symptoms?

Describe the basic findings of the visual search research conducted by Treisman and colleagues. In particular, describe the difference between a feature search and a conjunction search. Draw a figure illustrating a typical response-time pattern for the two search types.

Spatial attention to one hemifield leads to increased neural activity in the fusiform gyrus in the ipsilateral hemisphere.

Which component of attention is associated with the pulvinar?

The Posner spatial cuing task (1980) showed that cuing participants to the location of an upcoming target

Describe the subcortical structures involved in attention. Do you think these structures contribute to voluntary or reflexive attention? Why or why not?

You are looking for a friend who is supposed to meet you in a crowded lecture hall. You know that she is wearing a grey sweatshirt and glasses. Which kind of visual search best describes this situation?

Can object representations modulate spatial attention? Please describe evidence to support your answer.