Attention and cognitive control: Unfolding the dichotic listening story

Abstract

In this article we present a theoretical approach to cognitive control and attention modulation, as well as review studies related to such a view, using an auditory task based on dichotic presentations of simple consonant-vowel syllables. The reviewed work comes out of joint research efforts by the 'Attention-node' at the 'Nordic Center of Excellence in Cognitive Control'. We suggest a new way of defining degrees of cognitive control based on systematically varying the stimulus intensity of the right or left ear dichotic stimulus, thus parametrically varying the degree of stimulus interference and conflict when assessing the amount of cognitive control necessary to resolve the interference. We first present an overview and review of previous studies using the so-called "forced-attention" dichotic listening paradigm. We then present behavioral and neuroimaging data to explore the suggested cognitive control model, with examples from normal adults, clinical and special ability groups.

Effects of aging on the relationship between cognitive demand and step variability during dual-task walking

“…Hence, a fine-grained analysis of agerelated differences in cognitive control would not be possible. To address this issue, Hugdahl et al (2009) proposed a dichotic listening task allowing a parametric manipulation of the degree of cognitive conflict and a corresponding quantification of the degree of cognitive control needed to resolve the conflicting information. Literally, dichotic listening means that two different auditory stimuli (i.e., simple speech sounds like consonant-vowel syllables) are presented, one to the right ear and one to the left ear, at the same time (Bryden 1988;Hugdahl 2003;Tervaniemi and Hugdahl 2003).…”

“…First, the cognitive demand and effort parametrically increase from the NF to the FL condition (Hugdahl et al 2009). In the NF condition, attention is attracted in a non-volitional way (i.e., bottom-up) to the right ear.…”

“…To summarize, although the auditory stimuli are identical across conditions, the three different instructional conditions allow teasing apart a lateralized perceptual process (NF condition), an orienting process with synergistic bottom-up and top-down effects (FR condition), and a cognitive control process with a conflicting top-down effect that needs to override the bottom-up, automatic response. The NF condition in this context serves as a baseline condition to evaluate the effects in the FR and FL conditions (Hugdahl et al 2009). Second, inhibitory control is involved in the two forced attention conditions to prevent the irrelevant stimulus from gaining access to the focus of attention, with increasing requirement for that control from FR to FL (Della Penna et al 2007;Hugdahl et al 2009).…”

“…The NF condition in this context serves as a baseline condition to evaluate the effects in the FR and FL conditions (Hugdahl et al 2009). Second, inhibitory control is involved in the two forced attention conditions to prevent the irrelevant stimulus from gaining access to the focus of attention, with increasing requirement for that control from FR to FL (Della Penna et al 2007;Hugdahl et al 2009). Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have confirmed additional recruitment of cognitive control to resolve the interference in the FL condition as compared to the FR condition, showing remaining significant activations in the frontal and anterior cingulate cortex, when contrasting fMRI images obtained during the FL condition with those obtained during the FR condition (Thomsen et al 2004; see also Hugdahl et al 2009 and references therein).…”

Estradiol-related variations in top-down and bottom-up processes of cerebral lateralization.

“…The dichotic listening (DL) paradigm is commonly used to investigate language lateralisation (Hugdahl, 1995(Hugdahl, , 2003Hugdahl et al, 2009). The paradigm involves the presentation of two auditory stimuli, usually monosyllabic words (e.g.…”