How Speech Modifies Visual Attention

Spence, Ian; Jia, Andrew; Feng, Jing; Elserafi, Jonny; Zhao, Ying

doi:10.1002/acp.2943

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…In the present study, we used a task measuring the spatial distribution of attention across an extended area of the visual field (Attentional Visual Field Task; Spence et al, 2013 ; Feng and Spence, 2014 ). On this task, the distribution of attention across a large area of the visual field can be reflected by performance in target detection which decreases with the increase in target eccentricity (e.g., Feng and Spence, 2014 ; Feng et al, 2016 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities

Feng

Spence

2017

Front. Psychol.

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Frequently, we use expectations about likely locations of a target to guide the allocation of our attention. Despite the importance of this attentional process in everyday tasks, examination of pre-cueing effects on attention, particularly endogenous pre-cueing effects, has been relatively little explored outside an eccentricity of 20°. Given the visual field has functional subdivisions that attentional processes can differ significantly among the foveal, perifoveal, and more peripheral areas, how endogenous pre-cues that carry spatial information of targets influence our allocation of attention across a large visual field (especially in the more peripheral areas) remains unclear. We present two experiments examining how the expectation of the location of the target shapes the distribution of attention across eccentricities in the visual field. We measured participants’ ability to pick out a target among distractors in the visual field after the presentation of a highly valid cue indicating the size of the area in which the target was likely to occur, or the likely direction of the target (left or right side of the display). Our first experiment showed that participants had a higher target detection rate with faster responses, particularly at eccentricities of 20° and 30°. There was also a marginal advantage of pre-cueing effects when trials of the same size cue were blocked compared to when trials were mixed. Experiment 2 demonstrated a higher target detection rate when the target occurred at the cued direction. This pre-cueing effect was greater at larger eccentricities and with a longer cue-target interval. Our findings on the endogenous pre-cueing effects across a large visual area were summarized using a simple model to assist in conceptualizing the modifications of the distribution of attention over the visual field. We discuss our finding in light of cognitive penetration of perception, and highlight the importance of examining attentional process across a large area of the visual field.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities

Feng

Spence

2017

Front. Psychol.

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“…In this study, we measured the ability to localize a target among distractors using the attentional visual field (AVF) task (Spence et al 2013;Feng and Spence 2014). In the AVF task, the stimulus display consists of a target (a filled square inside an unfilled circle, Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential age-related changes in localizing a target among distractors across an extended visual field

et al. 2016

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Age differences in the spatial distribution of attention over a wide field of view have only been described in terms of the spatial extent, leaving the topographical aspect unexplored. This study examined age differences between younger and older adults in good general health in an important topographical characteristic, the asymmetry between the upper and lower visual fields. In Experiment 1, we found age differences across the entire attentional visual field. In addition, age differences were greater in the upper compared to the lower field. In Experiment 2, we examined whether the finding of a greater age difference in the ability to localize a target among distractors in the upper visual field in Experiment 1 was a result of possible differential age differences between the upper and lower visual fields in the ability to localize a target even when there was no distractor competing for attention. Our results suggested that the age differences we observed were linked to age differences in the ability to filter out distractors that compete with the target for attention rather than the ability to process only the target over a wide field of view. While younger adults demonstrated an upper visual field advantage in the ability to localize a target among distractors, there was no such field advantage in older adults. We discuss this finding of diminished upper visual field advantage in older adults in light of an account of pervasive loss of neural specialization with age. We postulate that one possible explanation of age differences in the asymmetry between the upper and lower visual fields may be an adaptation to age-related physical decline. We also discuss important implications of our findings in risks of falls and vehicle crashes.

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“…Changes in the visual field will trigger a commingled division of visual attention that may cause the driver to miss sudden threats on the road. The problem is analogous to the use of mobile phones in vehicles where the distraction is auditory (speech) and the impact is on visual attention [ 1 , 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Commingled Division of Visual Attention

Sun

Spence

2015

PLoS ONE

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Many critical activities require visual attention to be distributed simultaneously among distinct tasks where the attended foci are not spatially separated. In our two experiments, participants performed a large number of trials where both a primary task (enumeration of spots) and a secondary task (reporting the presence/absence or identity of a distinctive shape) required the division of visual attention. The spots and the shape were commingled spatially and the shape appeared unpredictably on a relatively small fraction of the trials. The secondary task stimulus (the shape) was reported in inverse proportion to the attentional load imposed by the primary task (enumeration of spots). When the shape did appear, performance on the primary task (enumeration) suffered relative to when the shape was absent; both speed and accuracy were compromised. When the secondary task required identification in addition to detection, reaction times increased by about 200 percent. These results are broadly compatible with biased competition models of perceptual processing. An important area of application, where the commingled division of visual attention is required, is the augmented reality head-up display (AR-HUD). This innovation has the potential to make operating vehicles safer but our data suggest that there are significant concerns regarding driver distraction.

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How Speech Modifies Visual Attention

Cited by 11 publications

References 56 publications

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities

The Effects of Spatial Endogenous Pre-cueing across Eccentricities

Differential age-related changes in localizing a target among distractors across an extended visual field

The Commingled Division of Visual Attention

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