A gradual spread of attention

Houtkamp, Roos; Spekreijse, H.; Roelfsema, Pieter R.

doi:10.3758/bf03194840

Cited by 68 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The buildup of processing delays during the spread of the rate enhancement produces a linear increase in reaction time with increases in the length of the curve and corresponds to the serial spread of attention at the psychological level (Fig. 4c), as is indeed observed experimentally (Houtkamp, Spekreijse, & Roelfsema, 2003; Jolicoeur et al, 1986). …”

Section: Neuronal Mechanisms For Perceptual Groupingsupporting

confidence: 74%

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Incremental grouping of image elements in vision

Roelfsema

Houtkamp

2011

Atten Percept Psychophys

104

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One important task for the visual system is to group image elements that belong to an object and to segregate them from other objects and the background. We here present an incremental grouping theory (IGT) that addresses the role of object-based attention in perceptual grouping at a psychological level and, at the same time, outlines the mechanisms for grouping at the neurophysiological level. The IGT proposes that there are two processes for perceptual grouping. The first process is base grouping and relies on neurons that are tuned to feature conjunctions. Base grouping is fast and occurs in parallel across the visual scene, but not all possible feature conjunctions can be coded as base groupings. If there are no neurons tuned to the relevant feature conjunctions, a second process called incremental grouping comes into play. Incremental grouping is a time-consuming and capacity-limited process that requires the gradual spread of enhanced neuronal activity across the representation of an object in the visual cortex. The spread of enhanced neuronal activity corresponds to the labeling of image elements with object-based attention.

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Section: Neuronal Mechanisms For Perceptual Groupingsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…We obtained support for this idea by investigating the distribution of visual attention during contour grouping (Houtkamp et al, 2003). Subjects saw a target curve that started at a fixation point and a distractor curve.…”

Section: Neuronal Mechanisms For Perceptual Groupingmentioning

confidence: 75%

Incremental grouping of image elements in vision

Roelfsema

Houtkamp

2011

Atten Percept Psychophys

104

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“…Previous studies used a version of this task where the stimulus remained in view and demonstrated that the feedforward response is followed by a phase where horizontal connections and feedback connections modulate V1 activity242526. In this later phase, enhanced neuronal activity spreads gradually along the V1 representation of the target curve, starting at the fixation point until the entire curve has been labelled with enhanced neuronal activity2427, a process that corresponds to the spread of object-based attention at a psychological level of description2829. During this later phase of neuronal activity, image elements far from the neurons' RFs influence V1 activity, and information about these image elements can only reach the neurons through horizontal connections within V1 and through feedback from higher visual areas (reviewed by ref.…”

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confidence: 99%

Layer-specificity in the effects of attention and working memory on activity in primary visual cortex

2017

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Neuronal activity in early visual cortex depends on attention shifts but the contribution to working memory has remained unclear. Here, we examine neuronal activity in the different layers of the primary visual cortex (V1) in an attention-demanding and a working memory task. A current-source density analysis reveales top-down inputs in the superficial layers and layer 5, and an increase in neuronal firing rates most pronounced in the superficial and deep layers and weaker in input layer 4. This increased activity is strongest in the attention task but it is also highly reliable during working memory delays. A visual mask erases the V1 memory activity, but it reappeares at a later point in time. These results provide new insights in the laminar circuits involved in the top-down modulation of activity in early visual cortex in the presence and absence of visual stimuli.

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“…Indeed, under many conditions, curve-tracing invokes a serial operation, which is implemented in the visual cortex by the propagation of enhanced neuronal activity along a target curve (Pooresmaeili and Roelfsema, 2014). This propagation of enhanced neuronal activity has a correlate in psychology: observers gradually spread object-based attention over the relevant curve (Houtkamp et al, 2003). In one previous study (Pooresmaeili and Roelfsema, 2014) monkeys had to mentally trace a target curve that was connected to a fixation point (Figure 3).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Serial, parallel and hierarchical decision making in primates

Zylberberg

Lorteije

Ouellette

et al. 2017

eLife

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The study of decision-making has mainly focused on isolated decisions where choices are associated with motor actions. However, problem-solving often involves considering a hierarchy of sub-decisions. In a recent study (Lorteije et al. 2015), we reported behavioral and neuronal evidence for hierarchical decision making in a task with a small decision tree. We observed a first phase of parallel evidence integration for multiple sub-decisions, followed by a phase in which the overall strategy formed. It has been suggested that a 'flat' competition between the ultimate motor actions might also explain these results. A reanalysis of the data does not support the critical predictions of flat models. We also examined the time-course of decision making in other, related tasks and report conditions where evidence integration for successive decisions is decoupled, which excludes flat models. We conclude that the flexibility of decision-making implies that the strategies are genuinely hierarchical.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17331.001

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A gradual spread of attention

Cited by 68 publications

References 25 publications

Incremental grouping of image elements in vision

Incremental grouping of image elements in vision

Layer-specificity in the effects of attention and working memory on activity in primary visual cortex

Serial, parallel and hierarchical decision making in primates

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