Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interactions between voluntary and involuntary attention modulate the quality and temporal dynamics of visual processing

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Successfully navigating a dynamic environment requires the efficient distribution of finite neural resources. Voluntary (endogenous) covert spatial attention selectively allocates those processing resources to goal-relevant locations in the visual scene in the absence of eye movements. However, the allocation of spatial attention is not always voluntary; abrupt onsets in the visual periphery automatically enhance processing of nearby stimuli (exogenous attention). In dynamic environments, exogenous events and internal goals likely compete to determine the distribution of attention, but how such competition is resolved is not well understood. To investigate how exogenous events interact with the concurrent allocation of voluntary attention, we used a speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) procedure. SAT conjointly measures the rate of information accrual and asymptotic discriminability, allowing us to measure how attentional interactions unfold over time during stimulus processing. We found that both types of attention sped information accrual and improved discriminability. However, focusing endogenous attention at the target location reduced the effects of exogenous cues on the rate of information accrual and rendered negligible their effects on asymptotic discriminability. We verified the robustness of these findings in four additional experiments that targeted specific, critical response delays. In conclusion, the speed and quality of visual processing depend conjointly on internally and externally driven attentional states, but it is possible to voluntarily diminish distraction by irrelevant events in the periphery.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Anton-Erxleben, K., Abrams, J., & Carrasco, M. (2010). Evaluating comparative and equality judgments in contrast perception: attention alters appearance. Journal of Vision, 10(11): 6, 1–22

  • Anton-Erxleben, K., Abrams, J., & Carrasco, M. (2011). Equality judgments cannot distinguish between attention effects on appearance and criterion: a reply to Schneider (2011). Journal of Vision, 11(13):8, 1–8.

  • Barbot, A., Landy, M. S., & Carrasco, M. (2011). Exogenous attention enhances 2nd-order contrast sensitivity. Vision Research, 51(9), 1086–1098.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berger, A., Henik, A., & Rafal, R. (2005). Competition between endogenous and exogenous orienting of visual attention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 134(2), 207–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Busse, L., Katzner, S., & Treue, S. (2008). Temporal dynamics of neuronal modulation during exogenous and endogenous shifts of visual attention in macaque area MT. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 105(42), 16380–16385.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M. (2009). Attention: Psychophysical approaches. In T. Bayne, A. Cleeremans, & P. Wilken (Eds.), The Oxford companion to consciousness. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M. (2011). Visual attention: the past 25 years. Vision Research, 51(13), 1484–1525.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M., Giordano, A. M., & McElree, B. (2004). Temporal performance fields: visual and attentional factors. Vision Research, 44(12), 1351–1365.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M., Giordano, A. M., & McElree, B. (2006). Attention speeds processing across eccentricity: feature and conjunction searches. Vision Research, 46(13), 2028–2040.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M., & McElree, B. (2001). Covert attention accelerates the rate of visual information processing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA, 98(9), 5363–5367.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Carrasco, M., McElree, B., Denisova, K., & Giordano, A. M. (2003). Speed of visual processing increases with eccentricity. Nature Neuroscience, 6(7), 669–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chica, A. B., Bartolomeo, P., & Lupianez, J. (2013). Two cognitive and neural systems for endogenous and exogenous spatial attention. Behavioral Brain Research, 237, 107–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corbetta, M., Patel, G., & Shulman, G. L. (2008). The reorienting system of the human brain: from environment to theory of mind. Neuron, 58(3), 306–324.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dosher, B. A., Han, S., & Lu, Z. L. (2004). Parallel processing in visual search asymmetry. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 30(1), 3–27.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, A. M., McElree, B., & Carrasco, M. (2009). On the automaticity and flexibility of covert attention: a speed-accuracy trade-off analysis. Journal of Vision, 9(3), 30 1–10.

  • Herrmann, K., Montaser-Kouhsari, L., Carrasco, M., & Heeger, D. J. (2010). When size matters: attention affects performance by contrast or response gain. Nature Neuroscience, 13(12), 1554–1559.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hopfinger, J. B., & West, V. M. (2006). Interactions between endogenous and exogenous attention on cortical visual processing. Neuroimage, 31(2), 774–789.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kimchi, R., & Peterson, M. A. (2008). Figure-ground segmentation can occur without attention. Psychological Science, 19(7), 660–668.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ling, S., & Carrasco, M. (2006). When sustained attention impairs perception. Nature Neuroscience, 9(10), 1243–1245.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McElree, B. (1996). Accessing short-term memory with semantic and phonological information: A time-course analysis. Memory & Cognition, 24, 173–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElree, B., & Dosher, B. A. (1989). Serial position and set size in short-term memory: Time course of recognition. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 18, 346–373.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McElree, B., Murphy, G. L., & Ochoa, T. (2006). Time course of retrieving conceptual information: a speed-accuracy trade-off study. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 13(5), 848–853.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montagna, B., Pestilli, F., & Carrasco, M. (2009). Attention trades off spatial acuity. Vision Research, 49(7), 735–745.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Muller, H. J., & Rabbitt, P. M. (1989). Reflexive and voluntary orienting of visual attention: time course of activation and resistance to interruption. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 15(2), 315–330.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nakayama, K., & Mackeben, M. (1989). Sustained and transient components of focal visual attention. Vision Research, 29(11), 1631–1647.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pestilli, F., Carrasco, M., Heeger, D. J., & Gardner, J. L. (2011). Attentional enhancement via selection and pooling of early sensory responses in human visual cortex. Neuron, 72(5), 832–846.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reed, A. V. (1973). Speed-accuracy trade-off in recognition memory. Science, 181(4099), 574–576.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reynolds, J. H., & Heeger, D. J. (2009). The normalization model of attention. Neuron, 61(2), 168–185.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, K. A. (2011). Attention alters decision criteria but not appearance: a reanalysis of Anton-Erxleben, Abrams, and Carrasco (2010). Journal of Vision, 11(13): 7, 1–8.

  • Schneider, K. A., & Komlos, M. (2008). Attention biases decisions but does not alter appearance. Journal of Vision, 8(15):3, 1–10.

  • Theeuwes, J. (1991). Exogenous and endogenous control of attention: the effect of visual onsets and offsets. Perception and Psychophysics, 49(1), 83–90.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van der Lubbe, R. H., & Postma, A. (2005). Interruption from irrelevant auditory and visual onsets even when attention is in a focused state. Experimental Brain Research, 164(4), 464–471.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wickelgren, W. A. (1977). Speed-accuracy tradeoff and information processing dynamics. Acta Psychologica, 41(1), 67–85.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yantis, S., & Jonides, J. (1990). Abrupt visual onsets and selective attention: voluntary versus automatic allocation. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 16(1), 121–134.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yeshurun, Y., Montagna, B., & Carrasco, M. (2008). On the flexibility of sustained attention and its effects on a texture segmentation task. Vision Research, 48(1), 80–95.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by NIH grant R01-EY019693 to D.H. and M.C. and by T32 EY007136 to New York University. We thank members of the Carrasco Lab for helpful comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, USA

    Michael A. Grubb, David J. Heeger & Marisa Carrasco

  2. Department of Psychology, New York University, 6 Washington Place, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Michael A. Grubb, Alex L. White, David J. Heeger & Marisa Carrasco

Authors
  1. Michael A. Grubb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Alex L. White
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. David J. Heeger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Marisa Carrasco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marisa Carrasco.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary Online Materials

(DOC 43.5 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Grubb, M.A., White, A.L., Heeger, D.J. et al. Interactions between voluntary and involuntary attention modulate the quality and temporal dynamics of visual processing. Psychon Bull Rev 22, 437–444 (2015). https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-014-0698-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-014-0698-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation