Early scale effect and hemisphere superiority on the visual spatial attention: From the electrophysiological evidence of ERP

The visual attention mechanism in the brain was studied among 16 young subjects through the precue-target visual search paradigm using the event-related potentials (ERPs) technique, with the attentive ranges cued with different scales of Chinese words. The results showed that the response time was shortened as the cue scale was reduced, while the amplitudes of the P1 and N1 components of the ERPs increased. These results not only provided the electrophysiological evidence supporting the spotlight theory, but also indicated that the spotlight effect occurred during the early period of the selected attention. Two kinds of separation in the P2 effect were observed. One separation was between the P1 effect and P2 effect, which meant that additional computation was needed when the spatial scale of attention was enlarged; the other was between the left and right hemisphere of the P2 effect, which indicates that the attentive processing of the cue range mainly occurred in the left hemisphere.     

The role of different cues in the brain mechanism on visual spatial attention

The visual spatial attention mechanism in the brain was studied in 16 young subjects through the visual search paradigm of precue-target by the event-related potential (ERP) technique, with the attentive ranges cued by different scales of Chinese character and region cues. The results showed that the response time for Chinese character cues was much longer than that for region cues especially for small region cues. With the exterior interferences, the target stimuli recognition under region cues was much quicker than that under Chinese character cues. Compared with that under region cues, targets under Chinese character cues could lead to increase of the posterior P1, decrease of the N1 and increase of the P2. It should also be noted that the differences between region cues and Chinese character cues were affected by the interference types. Under exterior interferences, no significant difference was found between region cues and Chinese character cues; however, it was not the case under the interior interferences. Considering the difference between the exterior interferences and the interior interferences, we could conclude that with the increase of difficulty in target recognition there was obvious difference in the consumption of anterior frontal resources by target stimuli under the two kinds of cues.     

Relationship between prospective memory and vigilance: Evidence from ERP

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were used in this study to investigate the neural correlates of prospective memory (PM) and vigilance. Twenty college or graduate students participated in this study. They were administered a PM and a vigilance task and physiological data were collected at the same time. Behavioral results showed that the RT associated with PM cues was longer than those associated with vigilance targets. ERP results showed that PM cues and vigilance targets did not show significant difference in the N2 but PM cues evoked greater N300 than vigilance targets, and vigilance targets evoked greater parietal positivity/P3 than PM cues, suggesting vigilance and PM have similar but also distinctive neural basis.     

Early ERP effects on the scaling of spatial attention in visual search

This article describes the examination of the spatial‘scaling＇ effect of visual attention with the technique of event-related potential （ERP）. Eighteen participants were involved in a visual search task in which the cue-target paradigm was used. The search array was three concentric circles consisting of randomly selected English letters that were equally distributed in each circle. The behavioral and ERP data were recorded, respectively. The behavioral results showed that the response time increased and the response accuracy decreased with the increase of precue size. The ERPs amplitude of PI and NI components evoked by search array increased with the reduction of precue size. However, the latencies of these ERP components did not show significant differences between conditions. The hierarchical data of both behavioral assessment and ERPs provided evidence for the spatial ＇scaling＇ effect of visual attention. The amplitudes of PI and N 1 components may be used as indices to examine the effect of spatial ＇scaling＇. In different tasks, the display-set size of stimuli and the task complexity may be important factors that affect the attention allocation.     

Asymmetry between the upper and lower visual fields： An event-related potential study

ASYMMETRIES OF HUMAN VISUAL INFORMATION PROCESS- ING ACROSS VISUAL FIELDS HAVE BEEN AN INTERESTING ISSUE IN COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE. IN ADDITION TO INVESTIGATIONS OF THE ASYMMETRIES BETWEEN THE LEFT AND RIGHT VISUAL FIELDS THAT ARE BELIEVED …     

An ERP study for the degrees of the difficulty in visual search

The present study mainly probed the relationships between ERP components and the degrees of difficulty in visual search. Three experimental and one controlled conditions were randomly selected. Results showed that the P1, N1, and P2 amplitudes and latencies had no significant differences among the three experimental and one controlled conditions, and the ERP waveforms of low perceptual load of visual search were different from that of high perceptual load. These results might indicate that the latencies and amplitudes of initial P1, N1 and P2 in high and low perceptual load conditions were almost the same. The ERP waveforms of parallel search were very different from that of serial search, and the ERP waveforms of serial search were very similar. The P3 amplitudes increased as the degrees of the difficulty in visual search decreased.     

An ERP study for the degrees of the difficulty in visual search

The present study mainly probed the relationships between ERP components and the degrees of difficulty in visual search. Three experimental and one controlled conditions were randomly selected. Results showed that the P1, N1, and P2 amplitudes and latencies had no significant differences among the three experimental and one controlled conditions, and the ERP waveforms of low perceptual load of visual search were different from that of high perceptual load. These results might indicate that the latencies and amplitudes of initial P1, N1 and P2 in high and low perceptual load conditions were almost the same. The ERP waveforms of parallel search were very different from that of serial search, and the ERP waveforms of serial search were very similar. The P3 amplitudes increased as the degrees of the difficulty in visual search decreased.     

Interactions between working memory and selective attention

Event-related potential (ERP) was used to examine the interactions between working memory and se- lective attention. We combined two unrelated tasks, one requiring working memory and the other se- lective attention, which were performed by some undergraduates. The ERP results revealed that both congruent and incongruent stimuli in the selective attention task evoked an N400 component, reaching the peak point at around 500 ms. The N400 evoked by incongruent stimuli was more negative than that of congruent, which indicated the difference of semantic N400. Furthermore, working memory load had a significant influence on the N400 evoked by selective attention task in parietal region. And working memory load showed difference in the ERPs of working memory retrieval in central and parietal regions. The ERPs of probe under high working memory load were more positive from 350 to 550 ms post-stimulus; however, stimulus type of selective attention had no influence on working memory re- trieval. The present study shows that working memory does not play a major role in the selective at- tention, especially in ignoring distracter, but it influences the performance of the selective attention as the background. The congruency of target and distracter in the selective attention task does not influ- ence the working memory retrieval.     

冥想加工性别差异的神经机制 ——来自ERP的证据

采用事件相关电位(ERP)技术,记录52名大学生被试在听(正性和负性)冥想指导语的脑电波,探索冥想加工过程的神经机制与性别差异.以固定频率的声音作为线索诱发N2和P3成分,这2个成分作为探究刺激差异和注意力资源调配的标记分别在160 ms和240 ms的时间上观察到.结果表明:在正性冥想条件下,在前额叶皮层(PFC)中...     

Neural correlates of short-term perceptual learning in orientation discrimination indexed by event-related potentials

The current work investigated the neural correlates of visual perceptual learning in grating orientation discrimination by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) from human adults. Subjects were trained with a discrimination task of grating orientation in three consecutive training sessions within 2 h. While reaction times (RTs) were shortened gradually across training sessions, the N1 was decreased and the P2 was increased over the parietal and occipital areas. A broadly distributed P3 was increased along with more practices. In addition, the time course of learning reflected in the P2 and P3 amplitudes was in line with the changes of reaction times and exhibited a stable level during later training. The impli- cations of these results to the neural mechanisms subserving perceptual learning were discussed.     

关于汉字视觉心理尺度评价的有效特征抽取

将汉字的视觉心理尺度这一连续的、无法用物理量直接分析评价的问题进行离散化,利用模式识别的手法加以研究.根据形状知觉尤其是汉字知觉的心理法则,抽取与汉字视觉心理尺度相关的黑点数、一次心距、二次心距等量张成特征空间.调查事先经专家认定在视觉心理上分属于大、中、小三集团的汉字在该特征空间中分布情况.经实验可知该分布有良好的聚类,证实了该特征集对汉字视觉心理尺度分类的有效性.     

一种纯内源性成分的事件相关脑电位

闪现刺激物诱发的视觉事件相关脑电位（ＥＲＰｓ）中，只有那些分布在较晚时域中的波，例如Ｐ３００、Ｎ４００等，内源性成分占优势，并与大脑的认知活动建立了较确切联系。本文报告一种模拟人类自然阅读时的事件相关脑电位（ＩＮＲ－ＥＲＰｓ），这种ＩＮＲ－ＥＲＰｓ的开矿学特征，不受注意的自动俘获效应的影响，不论是较晚还是较早时域中的波，都几乎是纯内源性的，并显示出了明显的心理学含义，我们还发现：对于同样的认知作业     

眼动对中文阅读速度的影响研究

通过对19名志愿者应用RSVP阅读程序试验,比较了RSVP(快速系列视觉呈现方式)下临界呈现单元和视觉广度探讨眼动对中文阅读速度的影响。结果表明:呈现单元差异显著(P=0.000);字体大小无显著差异(P=0.997),两者无交互作用(P=1.000);各呈现单元阅读速度比较,1字/单元相似文献   

与飞行任务相关的认知负荷对听觉事件相关电位的影响

为研究与飞行任务相关的认知负荷对听觉事件相关电位的影响, 采用14名被试者开展飞行模拟实验, 完成基于不同认知负荷水平的仪表监视任务。同时, 由耳机双侧呈现oddball模式下的听觉刺激, 引导被试者关注飞行模拟任务, 忽略听觉刺激。记录听觉事件相关电位失匹配负波(mismatch negativity, MMN)、N1和P2作为认知负荷的评价指标。实验结果表明认知负荷对额叶MMN的影响显著, MMN平均波幅在高认知负荷下显著增强, 表明被试者对任务不相关信息的自动加工能力提高, 且MMN平均波幅与模拟飞行期间被试者对异常信息的正确探测率正相关。提示额中央区的MMN对于与飞行任务相关的认知负荷具有较好的敏感性, 并可能用于复杂飞行任务的认知负荷水平评价。但是, 实验结果也表明认知负荷对早期听觉成分N1, P2以及颞叶MMN的影响不明显, 在一定程度上说明了听觉事件相关电位在评价与飞行任务相关的认知负荷时所表现出的复杂效应。     

An event-related potential study of working memory in children

Working memory refers to temporary storage and manipulation of “on-line” information in the brain,which is central to a large range of cognitive capabili- ties[1]. Visual working memory involves processes such as maintaining, updating and manipulating b…     

fMRI-constrained source analysis of visual P300 in Landolt ring task

An fMRI-constrained source analysis was applied to investigate visual P300 in the Landolt ring task. To study the localization and relative activation timing of P300 generators, we implemented simultaneous EEG/fMRI to identify BOLD signal changes and record 64-channel EEG in 10 subjects during a Landolt ring task inside a 1.5-T fMRI scanner using an MR-compatible EEG recording system. MRI artifact subtraction software was applied to obtain continuous EEG data. Then, the simultaneous collecting of EEG and fMRI was validated in preserving relevant ERPs. The fMRI-constrained source analysis resulted in an 8-dipole solution. The bilateral middle frontal and the right inferior parietal dipole waveforms showed a short latency peak corresponding to the early P300 activity, while the four parietal and the anterior cingulate dipole waveforms showed a long latency peak corresponding to the late P300 activity. The longest latency peak of the anterior cingulate dipole agrees with its role in initiation of motor response after successful target recognition. Target detection in the Landolt ring task produces the strongest and most extensive parietal activation （especially superior parietal activation）, which might be due to its particular visual attention switching.     

Orienting in voluntary and involuntary attention conditions

To investigate the orienting of visuospatial attention, the attention type (voluntary vs. involuntary) was manipulated in a within-subject design, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a peripheral cued, line-orientation discrimination task. A larger and later contralateral P1 and a smaller and later contralateral N1 were elicited by the valid trails relative to the invalid trails in the involuntary attention condition, whereas larger P1 and N1 were elicited by the valid trails in the voluntary attention condition. The present results provide evidence for the dissociation between voluntary and involuntary attention in one task.     

Orienting in voluntary and involuntary attention conditions

To investigate the orienting of visuospatial attention, the attention type (voluntary vs. involuntary) was manipulated in a within-subject design, and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in a peripheral cued, line-orientation discrimination task. A larger and later contralateral P1 and a smaller and later contralateral N1 were elicited by the valid trails relative to the invalid trails in the involuntary attention condition, whereas larger P1 and N1 were elicited by the valid trails in the voluntary attention condition. The present results provide evidence for the dissociation between voluntary and involuntary attention in one task.     

大脑两半球机能不对称性在汉字辨认中的特点

针对汉字在来源、结构等方面的特点,作者全面地选取了包括等量名词及虚词性的单个汉字和包括等量具体名词和抽象名词的双字词为刺激材料,采用中性刺激物阿拉伯数字为对照刺激材料,以刺激材料的不同呈现时间,应用半视野速示技术深入探讨中国人对汉字辨认的大脑两半球机能特点.对150名右利手的大学生的研究结果表明:尽管呈现时间不同(100、50、20、10、5ms).但对左、右视野单侧呈现的单个汉字、双字词及阿拉伯数字的正确辨认率均无显著性差异.这表明对汉字的辨认大脑两半球的功能是均势的.本文讨论认为它是由汉字特点及汉字信息处理的特殊方式所致.     

间伐施肥对杉木中龄林生长和材种结构的影响

【目的】探讨不同间伐保留密度和施用不同比例N、P肥对杉木中龄林生长和材种结构的影响。【方法】在福建省洋口国有林场9年生立地指数22的杉木人工林中设置9块标准地,采用正交试验设计进行间伐和施肥的配套试验,间伐保留密度为1 200、1 500和2 250株/hm²,N肥施用量为0、100、200 g/株,P肥施用量为0、250、500 g/株,连续观测4 a。【结果】不同间伐密度和N、P肥施用量对杉木树高生长影响不显著,不同间伐保留密度对杉木林平均胸径增长有较大影响,最小密度与最大密度处理间存在显著差异。N肥施用量和P肥施用量对杉木林平均胸径增长影响较小,不同N、P肥施用量间差异不显著。不同间伐保留密度间平均单株材积增量存在显著差异,N、P肥施用量对平均单株材积增量影响较小。不同密度林分间蓄积量增量并不显著,但较高水平N、P肥施用量能促进林分蓄积量增量显著提高。低间伐保留密度显著影响杉木大径材出材量,而1 200株/hm²保留密度下大径材出材量最高,1 500和2 250株/hm²保留密度下能够获得较高的中径材出材量。高水平...